Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother:

To God’s church at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.

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

Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

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.

Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead.

For this is our confidence: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly wisdom but by God’s grace.

As God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes and no.”

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.

For every one of God’s promises is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory.

Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed us.

I call on God as a witness, on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.

I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.

But thanks be to God, who always puts us on display in Christ and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

For to God we are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.

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.

It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ.

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

Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an open display of the truth.

In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ.

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

Indeed, everything is for your benefit, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving to increase to God’s glory.

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.

And the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

For we must all appear before the tribunal of Christ, so that each may be repaid for what he has done in the body, whether good or worthless.

Therefore, because we know the fear of the Lord, we seek to persuade people. We are completely open before God, and I hope we are completely open to your consciences as well.

For if we are out of our mind, it is for God; if we have a sound mind, it is for you.

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

That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, certain that God is appealing through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.”

But as God’s ministers, we commend ourselves in everything:

by great endurance, by afflictions,
by hardship, by difficulties,

by the message of truth,
by the power of God;
through weapons of righteousness
on the right hand and the left,

through glory and dishonor,
through slander and good report;
as deceivers yet true;

And what agreement does God’s sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said:

I will dwell among them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be My people.

Therefore, dear friends, since we have such promises, let us cleanse ourselves from every impurity of the flesh and spirit, completing our sanctification in the fear of God.

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

Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.

For consider how much diligence this very thing—this grieving as God wills—has produced in you: what a desire to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what deep longing, what zeal, what justice! In every way you showed yourselves to be pure in this matter.

So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God.

We want you to know, brothers, about the grace of God granted to the churches of Macedonia:

and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.

Thanks be to God who put the same concern for you into the heart of Titus.

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.

You will be enriched in every way for all generosity, which produces thanksgiving to God through us.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

They will glorify God for your obedience to the confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with others through the proof provided by this service.

And they will have deep affection for you in their prayers on your behalf because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift.

since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments

and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you.

Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!

But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny the opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as our equals in what they boast about.

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows I am not lying.

I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows.

I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows—

You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. No, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up.

I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced.

In fact, He was crucified in weakness, but He lives by God’s power. For we also are weak in Him, yet toward you we will live with Him by God’s power.

Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong—not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear to fail.

Finally, brothers, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind, 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.