who comforts me in all my distress, so that I am able to comfort people who are in any distress by the comfort with which I myself am comforted by God.

If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort and salvation; if I am comforted, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffer myself.

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 what I am writing to you is only what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand it fully,

as you have partly understood the meaning of my life, namely that I am your source of pride (as you are mine) on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

It was because I was sure of this that I wanted to come to see you before going anywhere else, to give you a double pleasure;

not to call upon you as I pass into Macedonia, but in my return from thence, to be conducted by you toward Judea.

But as God is true, our word toward you was not yea and nay.

Now the one who makes us and you as well secure in union with the Messiah and has anointed us is God,

But I appeal to God as my witness [i.e., to verify that I am telling the truth]; it was in order to spare you [i.e., from a disciplinary action] that I decided not to return to Corinth.

not that we rule [like dictators] over your faith, but rather we work with you for [the increase of] your joy; for in your faith you stand firm [in your strong conviction that Jesus of Nazareth—the Messiah—is the Son of God, through whom we obtain eternal salvation].

But, so far as I am concerned, I have resolved not to have a painful visit the next time I come to see you.

After all, if I were to grieve you, who should make me happy but the person I am making sad?

I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident about all of you that my joy will also be yours.

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate) he has saddened all of you as well.

And for the same reason I sent you a letter so that I might be certain of your desire to do my orders in all things.

Now whomever you forgive [for doing] anything [wrong], I will forgive also. For indeed, whatever I have forgiven, if I have [actually] forgiven anything, has been for your sakes in the sight of Christ. [Note: Paul seems to be saying "Since my forgiveness depends on your forgiveness of the man, I am not sure of my forgiveness because I am not sure of yours"].

for your sakes, that I may not be overreached by Satan, for I am not ignorant of his devices.

and to God are thanks, who at all times is leading us in triumph in the Christ, and the fragrance of His knowledge He is manifesting through us in every place,

Yes, I am the fragrance of Christ to God, diffused among those who are being saved, and those who are perishing alike;

to the one, a deathly, deadly odor, to the other a vital, life-giving one. Who is qualified for this task? I am!

I am, for I am not like most, adulterating the word of God; like a man of sincerity, like a man of God, I speak the word in Christ before the very presence of God.

Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?

You people show [i.e., by your conversions] that you are a letter from Christ, delivered by us [i.e., the result of our ministry], not written with ink but with the Holy Spirit of the living God; not on stone tablets [i.e., as in the case with Moses' ministry], but on tablets of the human heart. [See Jer. 31:33; Heb. 8:10].

It is not that I am personally qualified to form any judgment by myself; my qualifications come from God,

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

So since by the mercy of God I am engaged in this service, I never lose heart.

(It is Christ Jesus as Lord, not myself, that I proclaim; I am simply a servant of yours for Jesus' sake.)

But I am keeping this jewel in an earthen jar, to prove that its surpassing power is God's, not mine.

on every side I am harried but not hemmed in, perplexed but not despairing,

persecuted but not abandoned, struck down but not destroyed ??10 wherever I go, I am being killed in the body as Jesus was, so that the life of Jesus may come out in my body:

Wherever I go, I am always carrying about in my body the dying of Jesus, in order that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in this body of mine.

every day of my life I am being given over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may come out within my mortal flesh.

for which cause I am not discouraged, but tho' my body decays, yet my mind is daily renewed.

for the light affliction, which I at present suffer, will be infinitely over-ballanced by an eternal weight of glory;

while I am gazing not at things seen, but at things unseen; for things seen are temporal, but things unseen are eternal.

For in this tent I am groaning, earnestly longing to be under the cover of my heavenly habitation; if so be that being so covered,

since I am sure that once so covered I shall not be 'naked' at the hour of death.

For I who am still in my tent sigh with anxiety, because I do not want to be stripped of it, but to put on the other over it, so that what is only mortal may be absorbed in life.

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

Come what may, then, I am confident; I know that while I reside in the body I am away from the Lord

(for I have to guide my steps by faith, not by what is seen)??8 yet I am confident, and I prefer to leave my home in the body and make my home with the Lord.

and yet I am cheerful and confident, but really I prefer to be away from home in the body and to be at home with the Lord.

Hence also I am eager to satisfy him, whether in the body or away from it;

If I 'appeal to the interests of men,' then, it is with the fear of the Lord before my mind. What I am is plain to God without disguise, plain also, I trust, to your own conscience.

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to boast about us, in order that you may have [an answer] for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.

'I am beside myself,' am I? Well, that is between myself and God. I am 'sane,' am I? Well, that is in your interests;

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

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

So we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us; we [as Christ’s representatives] plead with you on behalf of Christ to be reconciled to God.

We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.

(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):

I am giving no one a cause of stumbling in order that my ministry may not be discredited;

but we commend ourselves in every way as servants of God: in great endurance, in sufferings, in hardships, in distresses,

in honor or dishonor, in praise or blame; considered an imposter, when I am true,

'unknown' but well-known, dying but here I am alive, chastened but not killed,

pained, when I am always glad, poor, when I make many others rich, penniless, when really I own everything.

O Corinthians, I am keeping nothing back from you; my heart is wide open for you.

It is not that I am cramping you, it is your own affections.

Now the same [way] [in] exchange (I am speaking as to children), you open wide [your hearts] also.

And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

Unto condemnation, I am not saying this , for I have before said - In our hearts, are ye, to the end we may die together and live together.

Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you: I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more.

Because even though I grieved you in the letter, I am not remorseful (even though I was remorseful), for I perceive that that letter grieved you, even though for an hour.

yet I am glad now, not because you were hurt and made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance [and you turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that you might not suffer loss in anything on our account.

For the sorrow that God desires produces repentance [i.e., a change of heart and life] that leads to salvation, and which brings no regrets. But the sorrow of the world [i.e., sorrow for wrongdoing for reasons unrelated to God or moral principles] produces [spiritual] death.

See how the very fact that you were made sorry from a godly motive has produced earnestness in you! [It produced] a desire to vindicate yourselves [i.e., by making amends for your wrongdoing]; an attitude of just anger [i.e., toward the wrongdoers]; a sense of fear [i.e., a fear of God for doing wrong]; an eager desire [i.e., to do the right thing]; a zeal [i.e., to correct problems]; and an attitude of avenging [i.e., that punished the wrongdoer]. You demonstrated in everything [you did] that you were pure [i.e., innocent] in this matter. [Note: This whole description of their conduct appears to be a reference to the incident mentioned in 2:1-11].

So even though I wrote to you [as I did], it was not for the sake of the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but in order to make evident to you before God how earnestly you do care for us [and your willingness to accept our authority].

That is why I am so comforted. With all my own comfort, I was still more overjoyed at the gladness of Titus, for his mind has been set at rest by you all.

For if I have boasted any thing to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spake all things to you in truth, even so our boasting, which I made before Titus, is found a truth.

And his affection for you is all the more [when he] remembers the obedience of all of you as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

I rejoice that in everything I am of good courage concerning you.

Now I am going to tell you, brothers, of God's spiritual blessing which was given in the churches of Macedonia,

I am not saying [this] as a command, but proving the genuineness of your love by means of the diligence of others.

And I am giving an opinion in this [matter], because this is profitable for you who not only began previously, a year ago, to do [something], but also to want [to do it].

Now therefore perform the doing of it; that as there was a readiness to will, so there may be a performance also out of that which ye have.

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

But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality:

Along with him I am sending that brother whose services to the gospel are praised by all the churches;

What is more, he has been appointed by the churches to travel with me in the interests of this generous undertaking, which I am superintending to honor the Lord and to show our readiness to help.

because I am on my guard in this, that no one should blame me, in respect to this bounty which I am administering.

For I am taking the precaution to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord but also in the eyes of men.

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.

As for Titus, he is my partner and coworker serving you; as for our brothers, they are the messengers of the churches, the glory of Christ.

for I know your eagerness [to promote this cause], and I have [proudly] boasted to the people of Macedonia about it, telling them that Achaia has been prepared since last year [for this contribution], and your enthusiasm has inspired the majority of them [to respond].

Still, I am sending the brothers [on to you], so that our pride in you may not be an empty boast in this case, and so that you may be prepared, just as I told them you would be;

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness.

And God is able to make all grace overflow to you so that because you have enough of everything in every way at all times, you will overflow in every good work.

He who furnishes the sower with seed and with bread to eat will supply seed for you and multiply it; he will increase the crop of your charities ??11 you will be enriched on all hands, so that you can be generous on all occasions, and your generosity, of which I am the agent, will make men give thanks to God;

You yourselves will be enriched with all good things, that you may give ungrudgingly; and your gifts, of which I am the agent, will make men give thanks to God.

Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

For though I do live an earthly life, I am not carrying on an earthly war,

We overthrow [vain] reasonings and every lofty idea raised against the knowledge of God [i.e., as revealed through the Gospel], and take captive [our] every thought to [make it] obey Christ.

while we hold ourselves in readiness to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as ever you as a Church have fully shown your obedience.

For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed.

I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters.

Let him understand that I will act when I arrive, as forcibly as I express myself by letter when I am absent.