for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us (by myself and Silvanus and Timotheus) was not 'yes and no' ??the divine 'yes' has at last sounded in him,

If a certain individual has been causing pain, he has been causing pain not so much to me as to all of you ??at anyrate (for I am not going to overstate the case) to a section of you.

If you forgive the man, I forgive him too; anything I had to forgive him has been forgiven in the presence of Christ for your sakes,

and he has further qualified me to be the minister of a new covenant ??a covenant not of written law but of spirit; for the written law kills but the Spirit makes alive.

(indeed, in view of the transcendent glory, what was glorious has thus no glory at all);

there the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to prevent them seeing the light thrown by the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the likeness of God.

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.

I am prepared for this change by God, who has given me the Spirit as its pledge and instalment.

for we have all to appear without disguise before the tribunal of Christ, each to be requited for what he has done with his body, well or ill.

for I am controlled by the love of Christ, convinced that as One has died for all, then all have died,

There is a new creation whenever a man comes to be in Christ; what is old is gone, the new has come.

It is all the doing of the God who has reconciled me to himself through Christ and has permitted me to be a minister of his reconciliation.

What harmony can there be between Christ and Beliar, or what business has a believer with an unbeliever?

What compact can there be between God's temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God ??as God has said, I will dwell and move among them, I will be their God and they shall be my people.

See what this pain divine has done for you, how serious it has made you, how keen to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how eager for me, how determined, how relentless! You have shown in every way that you were honest in the business.

I told him of my pride in you, and I have not been disappointed. No, just as all I have had to say to you has been true, so all I said about you to Titus, all my pride in you, has also proved true.

Now, brothers, I have to tell you about the grace God has given to the churches of Macedonia.

This has led me to ask Titus to complete the arrangements for the same gracious contribution among yourselves, as it was he who started it.

If only one is ready to give, according to his means, it is acceptable; he is not asked to give what he has not got.

Thanks be to God who has inspired Titus with an interest in you equal to my own;

he has indeed responded to my request, but he is off to you by his own choice, so keen is his interest in you.

besides, he has been appointed by the churches to travel with me on the business of administering this fund to the glory of the Lord. His appointment has my full consent,

Along with them I am also sending our brother: I have had ample proof of his keen interest on many occasions, and it is specially keen on this occasion, as he has absolute confidence in you.

I know how willing you are, I am proud of it, I have boasted of you to the Macedonians: "Achaia," I tell them, "was all ready last year." And your zeal has been a stimulus to the majority of them.

Everyone is to give what he has made up his mind to give; there is to be no grudging or compulsion about it, for God loves the giver who gives cheerfully.

they are drawn to you and pray for you, on account of the surpassing grace which God has shown to you.