He delivered us from so deadly a peril, and he will deliver us; on him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.

For our boast is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with holiness and godly sincerity, not in worldly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and still more toward you.

as you have understood us in part, that you can be proud of us just as we can be of you, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double benefit.

I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea.

For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained?

And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for I had confidence in all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.

For I wrote you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Any one whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ,

Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God.

Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold.

Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart.

But we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.

Since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed and therefore I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak,

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

We are not again commending ourselves to you, but are giving you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you may have an answer for those who take pride in appearance and not in heart.

For the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.

For he says, "At the acceptable time I have listened to you, and helped you on the day of salvation." Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Make room for us in your hearts; we have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one.

I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts, to die together and to live together.

I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you; I am filled with comfort. With all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

For behold what this very thing, godly sorrow, has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what readiness to see justice done! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

For if I have boasted to him about you, I was not put to shame; but just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting before Titus has proved true.

I rejoice, because I have perfect confidence in you.

for in a severe test of affliction, their abundance of joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a man has, not according to what he does not have.

for we have regard for what is honorable, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

And with them we are sending our brother whom we have often proved diligent in many matters, but who is now more diligent than ever because of his great confidence in you.

So I thought it necessary to urge the brethren to go on to you before me, and arrange in advance for this gift you have promised, so that it may be ready not as an exaction but as a willing gift.

And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, so that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may have an abundance for every good work.

I beg you that when I am present I may not have to be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For the weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world, but they have divine power to destroy strongholds.

But even if I am unskilled in speech, I am not in knowledge; in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the open sea.

I have been on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brethren;

I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For I was not in the least inferior to these super-apostles, even though I am nothing.

Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves before you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your upbuilding, beloved.

I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will have to mourn over many of those who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity, immorality, and lewdness which they have practiced.

I trust that you will realize that we have not failed the test.

Now we pray to God that you may not do wrong, not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may seem to have failed.

I write these things while I am absent, in order that when I come I may not have to be severe in my use of the authority which the Lord gave me for building you up, and not for tearing you down.