Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort;

who comforts us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, through the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

who delivered us out of so great a death, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will also deliver us again;

For we write no other things to you, than what you read or even acknowledge, and I hope you will acknowledge to the end;

For if I make you sorry, then who will make me glad but he who is made sorry by me?

And I wrote this very thing, so that, when I came, I would not have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy would be shared by all of you.

But if any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I not press too heavily) to you all.

For to this end I also wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you are obedient in all things.

You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men;

But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord, the Spirit.

seeing it is God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

knowing that he who raised Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.

For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

since, after we have put it on, we will not be found naked.

Therefore, we are always confident and know that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord;

Therefore also we make it our aim, whether at home or absent, to be well pleasing to him.

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

For the love of Christ constrains us; because we judge thus, that one died for all, therefore all died.

He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to him who for their sakes died and rose again.

But all things are of God, who reconciled us to himself through Jesus Christ, and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation;

as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and not killed;

as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

What agreement has a temple of God with idols? For we are a temple of the living God. Even as God said, "I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they will be my people."

Therefore, "'Come out from among them, and be separate,' says the Lord. 'Touch no unclean thing. I will receive you.

I will be to you a Father. You will be to me sons and daughters,' says the Lord Almighty."

Having therefore these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I am filled with comfort. I overflow with joy in all our affliction.

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

For though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you sorry, though just for a while.

Therefore we have been comforted. In our comfort we rejoiced the more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by you all.

For if in anything I have boasted to him on your behalf, I was not disappointed. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so our glorying also which I made before Titus was found to be truth.

His affection is more abundantly toward you, while he remembers all of your obedience, how with fear and trembling you received him.

This was not as we had hoped, but first they gave their own selves to the Lord, and to us through the will of God.

But as you abound in everything, in faith, utterance, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love from us that is in you, see that you also abound in this grace.

We have sent together with him the brother whose praise in the Good News is known through all the churches.

Remember this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly. He who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work.

Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food, will supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness;

you being enriched in everything to all liberality, which works through us thanksgiving to God.

seeing that through the proof given by this service, they glorify God for the obedience of your confession to the Good News of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution to them and to all;

while they themselves also, with supplication on your behalf, yearn for you by reason of the exceeding grace of God in you.

and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience will be made full.

For though I should boast somewhat abundantly concerning our authority, (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down) I will not be disappointed,

But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which God appointed to us, which reach even to you.

not boasting beyond proper limits in other men's labors, but having hope that as your faith grows, we will be abundantly enlarged by you in our sphere of influence,

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not proclaim, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different "good news", which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.

For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.

Even though I am unskilled in speech, I am not unskilled in knowledge. But in every way we have made this known to you in all things.

When I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.

As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion, that in which they boast, they may be found even as we.

It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.