Grace to you and peace [inner calm and spiritual well-being] from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Why, I felt in my heart that the end must be death. That was to keep me from relying on myself instead of on God, who can even raise the dead.

Our rejoicing is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in singleness of heart and with godly pureness - and not in fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God - we have had our conversation in the world, and most of all to you-wards.

who stamped me with his seal and gave me the Spirit as a pledge in my heart.

For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?

This is what I said in my letter, so that I might avoid coming and having my feelings hurt by the very people who might have been expected to make me happy, for I felt sure about you all, that what made me happy would make you all happy.

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be grieved, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

But if anyone has been a cause of sorrow, he has been so, not to me only, but in some measure to all of you (I say this that I may not be over-hard on you).

I am; for I am not like most, trafficking in the word of God, but rather from a sincere heart, like a man of God, I speak in Christ, in the very presence of God.

You yourselves are our letter, whose writing is in our heart, open for every man's reading and knowledge;

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

But [in fact] their minds were hardened [for they had lost the ability to understand]; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed [only] in Christ.

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

But whenever the heart of the nation shall have returned to the Lord, the veil will be withdrawn.

Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there the heart is free.

Because of this, [since we] have this ministry, just as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart,

For God who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," has shone within my heart to illuminate men with the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Christ.

We are hard pressed, yet never in absolute distress; perplexed, yet never utterly baffled;

hunted down and persecuted, but not deserted [to stand alone]; struck down, but never destroyed;

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;

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.

Therefore we do not lose heart, but even if our outer person is being destroyed, yet our inner [person] is being renewed day after day.

For we commend not ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf, that ye may have somewhat to answer them which glory in appearance, and not in heart.

And being also co-laborers we exhort you not to receive the grace of God in vain,??2 for he says, In an acceptable time I heard you, and in a day of salvation I helped you; behold, now is an acceptable time, behold, now is a day of salvation,??3 giving no offense in any thing, that the ministry may not be blamed,

(For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

In blows, in prisons, in attacks, in hard work, in watchings, in going without food;

In a clean heart, in knowledge, in long waiting, in being kind, in the Holy Spirit, in true love,

O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

Ye have not a narrow place in my heart, but ye have a narrow place for me in yours.

but for an answering recompense, (I speak as to children,) let your heart also expand itself.

Understand us: we have hurt no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

I am not saying this to condemn you. Indeed, I have already said that you are in our very heart, to live and die together.

I have great confidence in you: very loudly do I boast of you. I am filled with comfort: my heart overflows with joy amid all our affliction.

For even though I caused you sorrow by my letter [Note: Paul's writing of I Corinthians to correct abuses at Corinth apparently produced sorrow for their wrongdoing], I do not regret it, though I did regret it. [For] I see that my letter hurt you, though only for a short time.

Now I am glad, not that you had sorrow, but that your sorrow was the cause of a change of heart; for yours was a holy sorrow so that you might undergo no loss by us in anything.

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.

So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

In addition to the encouragement that this gave us, we were made far happier still by the happiness of Titus for his heart has been cheered by you all.

His affection is greater than ever as he remembers the obedience [to his guidance] that all of you exhibited, and how you received him with the greatest respect.

And I give counsel hereto: For this is expedient for you, which began - not to do only, but also to will - a year ago.

I do not mean to be easy upon others and hard upon you,

But thanks be to God, which put the same earnest care into the heart of Titus for you.

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

And we send with him the brother whose praises for his earnestness in proclaiming the Good News are heard throughout all the Churches.

Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

As sure as the truth of Christ is in my heart, no one will stop me from boasting about this [arrangement] throughout the regions of Achaia. [Note: This was the province where Corinth was located].

Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking foolishly) I am more so; I have had more experience of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure, of death.

In hard work and weariness, in frequent watchings, going without food and drink, cold and in need of clothing.

Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to sin, and I am not on fire [with sorrow and concern]?

I know even such a man,??hether in the body or out of the body I know not, God knows,??4 that he was caught up to paradise, and heard unutterable words, which it is not lawful for man to speak.

How that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.