For my boast is what my conscience tells me, that my relations to the world and still more to you have been marked by pure motives and godly sincerity, not by worldly shrewdness but by the favor of God.

But it is God who guarantees us and you to Christ; he has anointed us

and put his seal upon us and given us his Spirit in our hearts, as earnest-money.

But upon my soul I call God to witness that it is simply to spare you that I have stayed away from Corinth.

For if I hurt your feelings, who is there to cheer me up but the man whose feelings I hurt?

For I was in great trouble and distress of mind when I wrote you, and I shed many tears as I did it, yet it was not to hurt your feelings, but to make you realize the extraordinary affection I have for you.

But if anyone has hurt anybody's feelings, it is not so much mine, as yours, or at least those of some of you, not to be too hard upon you all.

but my mind could not rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.

But thank God! he always leads me in his triumphal train, through Christ, and spreads the perfume of knowledge of him everywhere through me as his censer-bearer.

For I am no peddler of God's message, like most men, but like a man of sincerity, commissioned by God and in his presence, in union with Christ I utter his message.

You show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by me, written not in ink, but in the Spirit of the living God, and not on tablets of stone, but on the human heart.

and he has qualified me to serve him in the interests of a new agreement, not in writing but of spirit. For what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

But if the religion of death, carved in letters of stone, was ushered in with such splendor, so that the Israelites could not look at Moses' face on account of the brightness that was fading from it,

but "whenever a man turns to the Lord, the veil is removed."

For it is not myself but Christ Jesus that I am proclaiming as Lord; I am only a slave of yours for Jesus' sake.

But I have this treasure in a mere ear then jar, to show that its amazing power belongs to God and not to me.

I am hard pressed on every side, but never cut off: perplexed, but not driven to despair;

routed, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed;

never free from the danger of being put to death like Jesus, so that in my body the life of Jesus also may be seen.

So it is death that operates in my case, but life that operates in yours.

because I keep my eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

For I know that if this earthly tent that I live in is taken down, God will provide me a building in heaven to live in, not built by human hands but eternal.

This makes me sigh with longing to put on my heavenly dwelling,

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.

and he died for all that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for him who died for them and rose again.

I put no obstacles in anyone's path, so that no fault may be found with my work.

obscure, when I am well known, at the point of death, yet here I am alive, punished, but not dead yet,

But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted me by the coming of Titus,

and not only by his coming, but by the comfort you had given him, for he told me how you longed to see me, how sorry you were, and how you took my part, which made me happier still.

I am glad of it now; not because you had your feelings hurt, but because having them hurt led you to repent, for you took it as God meant you to do, so that you should not lose anything at all through me.

For the pain that God approves results in a repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets; but the world's pain results in death.

So although I did write to you, it was not on account of the offender, nor of the injured man, but in the sight of God to reveal to you your devotion to me.

If I did express some pride in you to him, I have had no reason to be ashamed of it, but just as all I said to you was true, my boasting before Titus has also proved true.

But I will tell you what I think about it. For this is the best way to deal with you, for you were the first not only to do anything about this, but to want to do anything, and that was last year.

but to equalize the burden, and in the present situation to have your plenty make up for what they need, so that some day their plenty may make up for what you need, and so things may be made equal??15 as the Scripture says, "The man who got much did not have too much, and the man who got little did not have too little."

for he has responded to my appeal, but he goes to you really of his own accord, he is so devoted to you.

I intend to do what is right not only in the Lord's sight but in the eyes of men.

But I send the brothers so that our pride in you may not have a fall in this matter, but you may be all ready as I have told them you will;

I appeal to you personally, by the gentleness and forbearance of Christ??he Paul who is so humble when face to face with you, but so bold in dealing with you when he is far away!

for the weapons I use are not earthly ones, but divinely strong for destroying fortresses.

For they say, "His letters are impressive and telling, but his personal appearance is insignificant and as a speaker he amounts to nothing."

I do not indeed venture to class or compare myself with certain individuals who approve of themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they do not show good sense.

But my boasting will not be extravagant, nor exceed the limits God has allowed me, which reach all the way to you.

I do not indulge in extravagant boasts over work done by others, but I do hope that as your faith increases, my influence may be immensely enlarged through you,

But let the man who boasts, boast about the Lord.

I wish you would put up with a little folly from me. Do put up with it!

But I am afraid that just as the serpent by his cunning deceived Eve, your thoughts will be led astray from their single-hearted fidelity to Christ.

For when somebody comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one I preached, or you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it well enough!

So it is nothing strange if his servants also masquerade as servants of uprightness. But their doom will fit their actions.

I repeat, no one should think me a fool, but if you do, show me at least the patience you would show a fool, and let me have my little boast like the others.

When I boast in this reckless way, I do not say what I am saying for the Lord, but as a fool would talk.

For you like to put up with fools, you are so wise yourselves!

For you put up with it if a man makes you his slaves, or lives on you, or takes you in, or puts on airs, or gives you a slap in the face.

To my shame I must admit that I was too weak for that sort of thing. But whatever anyone else dares to boast of?? am playing the part of a fool?? will dare to boast of too.

but I was lowered in a basket from an opening in the wall, and got out of his clutches.

I have to boast. There is nothing to be gained by it, but I will go on to visions and revelations given me by the Lord.

On this man's account I am ready to boast, but about myself I will boast only of my weaknesses.

Though if I do choose to boast, I will not be such a fool, for I will only be telling the truth. But I will refrain from it, for I do not want anyone to be influenced by the wonderful character of these revelations to think more of me than is justified by my words or conduct.

I have been making a fool of myself, but you forced me to do it, when you ought to have been expressing your approval of me. For I am not a bit inferior to your superfine apostles, even if I am nobody!

Here it is the third time that I have been ready to come to see you, and I do not intend to be a burden to you now; for it is not your money but yourselves that I want; for children are not expected to lay up money for their parents, but parents for their children.

But granting that I did not burden you myself, I was clever about it, you say, and took you in by a trick.

Have you been supposing all along that it is before you I have been defending myself? It is in the sight of God and as a follower of Christ that I have been speaking. But it is all to do you good, dear friends,

for I am afraid that perhaps when I come I may find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. I am afraid that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, bad feeling, rivalry, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder,

Even if he was crucified through weakness, by the power of God he is alive. For we are weak as he was, but you will find that by the power of God we will be alive as he is.

But I pray to God that you may not do wrong??ot to prove me equal to the test, but that you should do right even if I fail to stand it.

For I cannot do anything against the truth, but only for it.