But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer.

Yes, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,

For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God we conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you.

But as God is faithful, our word toward you is not "Yes and no."

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not "Yes and no," but in him is "Yes."

But I call God for a witness to my soul, that I did not come to Corinth to spare you.

Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are fellow workers with you for your joy. For you stand firm in faith.

But I determined this for myself, that I would not come to you again in sorrow.

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

For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you with many tears, not that you should be made sorry, but that you might know the love that I have so abundantly for 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.

I had no relief for my spirit, because I did not find Titus, my brother, but taking my leave of them, I went out into Macedonia.

For we are not, like so many, peddling the word of God. But as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, we speak in Christ.

being revealed that you are a letter of Christ, served by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tablets of stone, but in tablets that are hearts of flesh.

not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God;

who also made us sufficient as servants of a New Covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

But if the service of death, written engraved on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look steadfastly on the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which was passing away:

and not as Moses, who put a veil on his face, that the children of Israel would not look steadfastly on the end of that which was passing away.

But their minds were hardened, for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains, because in Christ it passes away.

But to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart.

But whenever one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

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.

But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake;

But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves.

So then death works in us, but life in you.

But having the same spirit of faith, according to that which is written, "I believed, and therefore I spoke." We also believe, and therefore also we speak;

Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is wearing away, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day.

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.

For indeed we who are in this tent do groan, being burdened; not that we desire to be unclothed, but that we desire to be clothed, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

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.

Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we are revealed to God; and I hope that we are revealed also in your consciences.

For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but speak as giving you occasion of boasting on our behalf, that you may have something to answer those who boast in appearance, and not in heart.

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;

but in everything commending ourselves, as servants of God, in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses,

You are not restricted by us, but you are restricted by your own affections.

For even when we had come into Macedonia, our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side. Fightings were outside. Fear was inside.

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.

I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing.

For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world works death.

So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for his cause that did the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered the wrong, but that your earnest care for us might be revealed in you in the sight of God.

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.

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.

I speak not by way of commandment, but as proving through the earnestness of others the sincerity also of your love.

I give a judgment in this: for this is expedient for you, who were the first to start a year ago, not only to do, but also to be willing.

But now complete the doing also, that as there was the readiness to be willing, so there may be the completion also out of your ability.

but for equality. Your abundance at this present time supplies their lack, that their abundance also may become a supply for your lack; that there may be equality.

But thanks be to God, who puts the same earnest care for you into the heart of Titus.

For he indeed accepted our exhortation, but being himself very earnest, he went out to you of his own accord.

Not only so, but who was also appointed by the churches to travel with us in this grace, which is served by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and to show our readiness.

Having regard for honorable things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

We have sent with them our brother, whom we have many times proved earnest in many things, but now much more earnest, by reason of the great confidence which he has in you.

But I have sent the brothers that our boasting on your behalf may not be in vain in this respect, that, just as I said, you may be prepared,

For this service of giving that you perform not only makes up for lack among the saints, but abounds also through many thanksgivings to God;

Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ; I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you.

But I implore you that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence with which I intend on showing against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh.

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty in God for the tearing down of strongholds,

For, "His letters," they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised."

For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

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,

But "he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."

For it is not he who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

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.

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.

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.

I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.

That which I speak, I do not speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

It is necessary to boast, though it is not profitable. But I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.

On behalf of such a one I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses.

For if I would desire to boast, I will not be foolish; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, so that no man may think more of me than that which he sees in me, or hears from me.

Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you; for I seek not what is yours, but you. For the children ought not to save up for the parents, but the parents for the children.

But be it so, I did not myself burden you. But, being crafty, I caught you with deception.

seeing that you seek a proof of Christ who speaks in me; who toward you is not weak, but is powerful in you.

For indeed he was crucified through weakness, yet he lives through the power of God. For we also are weak in him, but we will live with him through the power of God toward you.

But I hope that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Now we pray to God that you do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is honorable, though we are as reprobate.

For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth.