To the Church of God which is in Corinth, and to all the saints throughout Greece. from Paul, by God's will an apostle of Christ, and from brother Timothy.

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

He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

But whether we are oppressed, it is for your encouragement and salvation, which works by endurance from the same sufferings that we also experience (and our hope for you is steadfast), or we are encouraged, it is for your encourage

Yes, I felt within my very self the sentence of death, to keep me from depending on myself instead of God who raises the dead.

Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us;

And of you who help together by supplication for us (a gift for us from many persons, because of many), so that there may be gratitude about you.

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.

For I am writing to you nothing different from what you read aloud and very well recognize, and I hope will continue to recognize to the very end,

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

Now when I intended this, was I chargeable with levity? or what I purpose, do I purpose from carnal motives, that with me there should be yea, yea, and then no, no?

But upon my soul I call God to witness that it is simply to spare you that I have stayed away from Corinth.

And I wrote this very thing - lest, if I came, I should have, grief, from those over whom I had need to rejoice, - having confidence in you all, that, my joy, is the joy, of you all.

For from much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that ye might be grieved, but that ye might know the abundant love which I have toward you.

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

The punishment inflicted [on him] by the majority of you was sufficient. [Note: If this is a reference to the incestuous man of I Cor. 5:4ff, then the punishment was removing him from their fellowship].

so you must do the opposite, freely forgive and comfort him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by his excessive sadness.

For I wrote to you for this purpose also, that I might have a sure proof from you, whether you are obedient in all things.

to keep us from being worsted by Satan, for we know what his intentions are.

I had no rest in my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went from thence into Macedonia.

to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?

For we are not like the many who market God’s message for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Are we to begin again, ourselves, to commend? or have we need, like some, of commendatory letters unto you, or from you?

You people show [i.e., by your conversions] that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us [i.e., the result of our ministry], not written with ink but with the Holy Spirit of the living God; not on stone tablets [i.e., as in the case with Moses' ministry], but on tablets of the human heart. [See Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10].

It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

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.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory—

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

and do not act as Moses did, who threw a veil over his face so as to hinder the children of Israel from perceiving the end of that which was to cease:

Besides, their minds were dulled, for to this very day, when the Old Testament is read aloud, the same veil hangs. Veiled from them the fact that the glory fades in Christ!

Now the Lord [i.e., Christ] is the Holy Spirit, and there is freedom [from the bondage of sin and fear] wherever the Spirit of the Lord is.

And, we all, with unveiled face, receiving and reflecting, the glory of the Lord, into the same image, are being transformed, from glory into glory, - even as from a Spirit that is Lord.

but have cast from us the cloaks of unhonesty, and walk not in craftiness, neither corrupt we the word of God: but walk in open truth, and report ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

But if our good news is veiled, it is veiled from those who are on the way to destruction:

In their case, the god of this world has blinded the eyes of the unbelievers, to keep the glorious light of the good news of Christ, who is the likeness of God, from dawning upon them.

Howbeit we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that, the surpassing greatness of the power, may be of God, and not from ourselves: -

never free from the danger of being put to death like Jesus, so that in my body the life of Jesus also may be seen.

But having the same spirit of faith, as it is said in the Writings, The words of my mouth came from the faith in my heart; in the same way, our words are the outcome of our faith;

because I know that He who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will raise me too in fellowship with you.

For all this is for your sakes, that the loving-kindness of God, spreading from heart to heart, may cause yet more hearts to overflow with thanksgiving, to his glory.

So I never give up; instead, although my outer nature is wasting away, my inner nature is constantly renewed from day to day.

For our slight momentary affliction works for us an eternal weight of glory from extraordinariness to extraordinariness,

For we have known that if our earthly house of the tabernacle may be thrown down, a building from God we have, an house not made with hands -- age-during -- in the heavens,

For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:

For truly, we who are in this tent do give out cries of weariness, for the weight of care which is on us; not because we are desiring to be free from the body, but so that we may have our new body, and death may be overcome by life.

Having good courage, therefore, at all times, and knowing that - remaining at home in the body, we are away from home 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.

Wherefore also we are ambitious - whether at home, or away from home, to be, well-pleasing unto him.

And that he underwent death for all, so that the living might no longer be living to themselves, but to him who underwent death for them and came back from the dead.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.

Everything is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:

For He says,“At the acceptable time (the time of grace) I listened to you,
And I helped you on the day of salvation.” Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”—

To keep my ministry from being found fault with, I am trying not to put a single hindrance in anybody's way.

but in all things I approve myself as the minister of God, by great constancy in afflictions, in torments, in distresses, from stripes,

from imprisonments, from tumults, from labours, from watchings, from penury.

I have kept nothing back from you, men of Corinth; I have opened my heart to you.

We are not holding back [our affections] from you, but you are holding back your affections [from us].

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,

Having therefore, these, promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from all pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in fear of God.

for when I came to Macedonia, I had no respit from the trouble that beset me on every side: oppositions from without, and apprehensions within.

and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

For tho' I was sorry my letter gave you some uneasiness, I do not repent of it, perceiving, that the uneasiness you had from that letter, did not dwell upon your minds.

Now, am I rejoicing, - not that ye were grieved, but that ye were grieved unto repentance; for ye were grieved according to God, in order that, in nothing, should ye receive damage from us.

For your pain came from God, and so you took no harm from me. For the pain which is from God works repentance leading to salvation, a repentance never to be regretted. But the world's pain works death.

'tis observable, even this religious sorrow which you had, what solicitude has it not wrought in you, what apologies, what indignation, what fear, what desire, what zeal, yea, what revenge! so that by your whole conduct, ye have shown your selves to be clear from guilt in this matter.

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 this cause, have we received encouragement. In addition to our encouragement, however, much more abundantly, have we rejoiced over the joy of Titus, - that his spirit hath received refreshment from you all,

that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy, even from the depth of their poverty, abounded for the wealth of their generosity,

For I give them witness, that as they were able, and even more than they were able, they gave from the impulse of their hearts,

With earnest entreaty they begged from us the favour of being allowed to share in the service now being rendered to God's people.

But, just as, in everything, ye superabound, - in faith, and discourse, and knowledge, and all earnestness, and in the love among you which proceedeth from us, in order that, in this favour also, ye would superabound.

I speak not from commandment, but because of the zeal of others, also examining the genuineness of your love.

And in this I give judgment, for this is expedient for you who earlier began, from a year ago, not only the doing but also the intending.

But now finish the task as well, that just as there was eagerness to desire it, so there may also be a completion from what you have.

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.

For while he gladly gave ear to our request, he was interested enough to go to you from the impulse of his heart.

this I did, to prevent any suspicion that might be rais'd from my having the management of so great a sum:

I aim at being above reproach not only from God but also from men.

And we have sent [i.e., are sending] with them our brother [Note: This is a different person from the one mentioned in verse 18], who has often proven his diligence to us in many ways, and is now proving to be even more diligent because of the great confidence he has in you [i.e., confidence in the Corinthians completing their collection for the poor].

As for Titus, remember that he is a partner of mine, and is also my associate in labors for you. As for the other brothers, remember that they are delegates from the churches, men in whom Christ is glorified.

For I know your willingness, which I boast about you to the Macedonians, that Achaia was prepared from a year ago. And your zeal provoked the majority.

So my reason for sending our Brothers is to prevent what we said about you from proving, in this particular matter, an empty boast, and to enable you to be as well prepared as I have been saying that you are.

to keep me -- not to mention you -- from being humiliated for having such confidence in you, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready.

So I have thought that I must ask these brothers to visit you beforehand, and get your promised contribution ready in advance. I want it to be given of your bounty, not extorted from your covetousness.

But in the Writings it says, He who puts in only a small number of seeds, will get in the same; and he who puts them in from a full hand, will have produce in full measure from them.

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

He who ever supplies seed to the sower, and bread for the food of man, will supply and make plentous your seed, and increase the harvest springing up from your almsgiving.

For the rendering of this service not only [fully] meets the needs of the saints [i.e., God's holy people], but also produces overflowing expressions of thanksgiving to God from many people.

(While from the experience of this ministration they glorify God for your professed subjection to the gospel of Christ, and the liberality of your communication to them, and to all men.)

Now I, Paul, myself make request to you by the quiet and gentle behaviour of Christ, I who am poor in spirit when with you, but who say what is in my mind to you without fear when I am away from you:

I beg you not to make me too courageous in that confidence in which I think to take a daring stand against some people who try to think that I am acting from the lowest human motives.

The things in presence do ye see? if any one hath trusted in himself to be Christ's, this let him reckon again from himself, that according as he is Christ's, so also we are Christ's;

Would that you could put up with a little "folly" from me! Nay, do bear with me.

But I fear lest, just as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, so your minds should be seduced from your single-mindedness and purity toward Christ.

if he that is come to you, preaches another Jesus whom I have not preached, or if ye receive other gifts of the spirit, than what ye have received from me, or another gospel, than what you have accepted, you might well bear with his pretensions:

I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you.

Even when I lacked the actual necessities of life while I was with you, I was a burden to no one; for whatever I lacked, the brothers from Macedonia supplied, when they came. So I kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

If the truth of Christ be in me, this rejoicing shall not be taken from me in the regions of Achaia.

I am doing and will continue to do this in order to cut away the ground from under those who wish some cause for slander; and that the ground of their boasting may appear as does mine.

What I speak I speak not as from the Lord, but as in weakness, in this confidence of boasting.