Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the purpose of God, and Timothy the brother, to the church of God which is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

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

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort;

Who gives us comfort in all our troubles, so that we may be able to give comfort to others who are in trouble, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

But if we are troubled, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which takes effect through your quiet undergoing of the same troubles which we undergo:

Yes, we ourselves have had the answer of death in ourselves, so that our hope might not be in ourselves, but in God who is able to give life to the dead:

You at the same time helping together by your prayer for us; so that for what has been given to us through a number of persons, praise may go up to God for us from all of them.

For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God; not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God.

As God is true, our word to you is not Yes and No.

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we were preaching among you, even I and Silvanus and Timothy, was not Yes and No, but in him is Yes.

For he is the Yes to all the undertakings of God: and by him all the words of God are made certain and put into effect, to the glory of God through us.

Now he who makes our faith strong together with you, in Christ, and has given us of his grace, is God;

But God is my witness that it was in pity for you that I did not come to Corinth at that time.

So that Satan may not get the better of us: for we are not without knowledge of his designs.

Now when I came to Troas for the good news of Christ, and there was an open door for me in the Lord,

But praise be to God who makes us strong to overcome in Christ, and makes clear through us in every place the value of the knowledge of him.

For we are a sweet perfume of Christ to God in those who are getting salvation and in those who are going to destruction;

For we are not like the great number who make use of the word of God for profit: but our words are true, as from God, being said as before God in Christ.

For you are clearly a letter of Christ, the fruit of our work, recorded not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in stone, but in hearts of flesh.

And this is the certain faith which we have in God through Christ:

Not as if we were able by ourselves to do anything for which we might take the credit; but our power comes from God;

And we have given up the secret things of shame, not walking in false ways, and not making use of the word of God with deceit; but by the revelation of what is true, as before God, we have the approval of every man's sense of right and wrong.

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

Because the god of this world has made blind the minds of those who have not faith, so that the light of the good news of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not be shining on them.

Seeing that it is God who said, Let light be shining out of the dark, who has put in our hearts the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

But we have this wealth in vessels of earth, so that it may be seen that the power comes not from us but from God;

For we go through all things on account of you, because the greater the number to whom the grace is given, the greater is the praise to the glory of God.

For we are conscious that if this our tent of flesh is taken down, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in 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.

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.

Having in mind, then, the fear of the Lord, we put these things before men, but God sees our hearts; and it is my hope that we may seem right in your eyes.

For if we are foolish, it is to God; or if we are serious, it is for you.

But all things are of God, who has made us at peace with himself through Christ, and has given to us the work of making peace;

That is, that God was in Christ making peace between the world and himself, not putting their sins to their account, and having given to us the preaching of this news of peace.

So we are the representatives of Christ, as if God was making a request to you through us: we make our request to you, in the name of Christ, be at peace with God.

For him who had no knowledge of sin God made to be sin for us; so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

We then, working together with God, make our request to you not to take the grace of God to no purpose.

(For he says, I have given ear to you at a good time, and I have been your helper in a day of salvation: see, now is the good time; now is the day of salvation):

But in everything making it clear that we are the servants of God, in quiet strength, in troubles, in need, in sorrow,

In the true word, in the power of God; with the arms of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

By glory and by shame, by an evil name and a good name; as untrue, and still true;

And what agreement has the house of God with images? for we are a house of the living God; even as God has said, I will be living among them, and walking with them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people.

Because God, then, will give us such rewards, dear brothers, let us make ourselves clean from all evil of flesh and spirit, and become completely holy in the fear of God.

But God who gives comfort to the poor in spirit gave us comfort by the coming of Titus;

For the sorrow which God gives is the cause of salvation through a change of heart, in which there is no reason for grief: but the sorrow of the world is a cause of death.

For you see what care was produced in you by this very sorrow of yours before God, what clearing of yourselves, what wrath against sin, what fear, what desire, what serious purpose, what punishment. In everything you have made it clear that you are free from sin in this business.

So though I sent you a letter, it was not only because of the man who did the wrong, or because of him to whom the wrong was done, but so that your true care for us might be made clear in the eyes of God.

For I was not put to shame in anything in which I may have made clear to him my pride in you; but as we said nothing to you but what was true, so the good things which I said to Titus about you were seen by him to be true.

It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.

And now we give you news, brothers, about the grace of God which has been given to the churches of Macedonia;

And going even farther than our hope, they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us after the purpose of God.

And that as you are full of every good thing, of faith, of the word, of knowledge, of a ready mind, and of love to us, so you may be full of this grace in the same way.

For if there is a ready mind, a man will have God's approval in the measure of what he has, and not of what he has not.

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

But praise be to God, who puts the same care for you into the heart of Titus.

And with him we have sent a brother whose praise in the good news has gone through all the churches;

But I have sent the brothers, so that the good things we said about you may be seen to be true, and that, as I said, you may be ready:

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.

Let every man do after the purpose of his heart; not giving with grief, or by force: for God takes pleasure in a ready giver.

And God is able to give you all grace in full measure; so that ever having enough of all things, you may be full of every good work:

Your wealth being increased in everything, with a simple mind, causing praise to God through us.

For this work of giving not only takes care of the needs of the saints, but is the cause of much praise to God;

For when, through this work of giving, they see what you are, they give glory to God for the way in which you have given yourselves to the good news of Christ, and for the wealth of your giving to them and to all;

While their hearts go out to you in love and in prayer for you, because of the great grace of God which is in you.

Praise be to God for what he has given, which words have no power to say.

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:

(For the arms with which we are fighting are not those of the flesh, but are strong before God for the destruction of high places);

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;

For we will not make comparison of ourselves with some of those who say good things about themselves: but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and making comparison of themselves with themselves, are not wise.

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 we have no need to make ourselves seem more than we are, as if our authority did not come as far as to you: for we came even as far as you with the good news of Christ:

Not taking credit to ourselves for what is not our business, that is, for the work of others; but having hope that, with the growth of your faith, we may get the credit for an increase which is the effect of our work,

So that we may be able to go on and take the good news to countries still farther away than you are, and not take credit for another man's work in making things ready to our hand.

For if anyone comes preaching another Jesus from the one whose preachers we are, or if you have got a different spirit, or a different sort of good news from those which came to you, how well you put up with these things.

Or did I do wrong in making myself low so that you might be lifted up, because I gave you the good news of God without reward?

Why? because I have no love for you? let God be judge.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise for ever, is witness that the things which I say are true.

And being let down in a basket from the wall through a window, I got free from his hands.

As it is necessary for me to take glory to myself, though it is not a good thing, I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I have knowledge of a man in Christ, fourteen years back (if he was in the body, or out of the body, I am not able to say, but God only), who was taken up to the third heaven.

And I have knowledge of such a man (if he was in the body, or out of the body, I am not able to say, but God only),

Truly the signs of an Apostle were done among you in quiet strength, with wonders and acts of power.

It may seem to you that all this time we have been attempting to put ourselves in the right; but we are saying these things before God in Christ. For all things, dear brothers, are for your profit.

And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

For he was feeble in that he was put to death on the cross, but he is living by the power of God. And we are feeble in him, but we will be living with him through the power of God in relation to you.

Now our prayer to God is that you may do no evil; not in order that it may be put to our credit, but so that you may do what is right, whatever we may seem.

Let this be my last word, brothers; be glad; be complete; be comforted; be of the same mind; be at peace with one another: and the God of love and peace will be with you.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the harmony of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.