Paul, by God's will an apostle of Christ Jesus, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is at Corinth, and all God's people all over Greece;

He comforts me in all my trouble, so that I can comfort people who are in any trouble with the comfort with which I myself am comforted by God.

For if I have a liberal share of Christ's sufferings, through Christ I have a liberal share of comfort too.

My hopes for you are unshaken. For I know that just as surely as you share my sufferings, just so surely you will share my comfort.

For I do not want you, brothers, to misunderstand the distress that I experienced in Asia, for I was so utterly and unendurably crushed, that I actually despaired of life itself.

So deadly was the peril from which he saved me, as he will save me again! It is on him that I have set my hope that he will save me again.

You must help me by your prayers, so that many will give thanks to God on my behalf for the blessing granted me in answer to many prayers.

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;

I was going to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then to come back to you from Macedonia and have you see me off for Judea.

Was it vacillating of me to want to do that? Do I make my plans like a worldly man, ready to say "Yes" and "No" in the same breath?

This is what I said in my letter, so that I might avoid coming and having my feelings hurt by the very people who might have been expected to make me happy, for I felt sure about you all, that what made me happy would make you all happy.

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.

and so you must now turn around and forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by his remorse.

So I beg you to restore him to his place in your affections.

For that is why I wrote you??o find out how you would stand the test, and see if you would obey me absolutely.

When I went to Troas to preach the good news of the Christ there, I found a good opening for the Lord's work,

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.

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.

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,

So since I have such a hope, I speak with great frankness,

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

I disown disgraceful, underhanded ways. I refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God's message. It is by the open statement of the truth that I would commend myself to every human conscience in the sight of God.

If the meaning of my preaching of the good news is veiled at all, it is so only in the case of those who are on the way to destruction.

For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in my heart, to give me the light of the knowledge of God's glory, that is on the face of Christ.

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.

For every day I live I am being given up to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be visible in my mortal nature.

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

In the same spirit of faith as his who said, "I believed, and so I spoke," I too believe, and so I speak,

For it is all for your benefit, in order that as God's favor reaches greater and greater numbers, it may result in more and more thanksgiving in praise of God.

So I never lose heart. Though my outer nature is wasting away, my inner is being renewed every day.

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.

So I am confident. I know well that as long as I am at home in the body I am away from the Lord

So whether I am at home or away from it, it is my ambition to please him.

For if I was out of my senses, as they say, it was between God and me; and if I am in my right mind, it is for your good.

It is Christ's love that controls me, for I have become convinced that as one has died for all, all have died,

So from that time on, I have estimated nobody at what he seemed to be outwardly; even though I once estimated Christ in that way, I no longer do so.

So if anyone is in union with Christ, he is a new being; the old state of things has passed away; there is a new state of things.

All this comes from God, who through Christ has reconciled me to himself, and has commissioned me to proclaim this reconciliation??19 how God through Christ reconciled the world to himself, refusing to count men's offenses against them, and intrusted me with the message of reconciliation.

It is for Christ, therefore, that I am an envoy, seeing that God makes his appeal through me. On Christ's behalf I beg you to be reconciled to God.

He made him who knew nothing of sin to be sin, for our sake, so that through union with him we might become God's uprightness.

As God's fellow-worker, I appeal to you, too, not to accept the favor of God and then waste it.

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

So since we have promises like these, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves of everything that can defile body or spirit, and by reverence for God make our consecration complete.

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.

For even if I did hurt your feelings with that letter, I cannot regret it; even if I did regret it, when I saw that the letter had hurt your feelings perhaps for a while,

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.

See how earnest this God-given pain has made you! how eager to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how eager to see me, how zealous, how avenging! At every point you have proved that you are clear of this matter.

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.

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.

They did far more than I hoped, for first in obedience to God's will, they gave themselves to the Lord, and to me.

Now finish doing it, so that your readiness to undertake it may be equaled by the way you finish it up, as well as your means permit.

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.

So as far as Titus is concerned, he is my partner and comrade in my work for you, while these brothers of ours represent the churches, and are a credit to Christ.

So you must give proof to them before all the churches of your love, and justify my pride in you.

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;

for if some people from Macedonia come with me, and find that you are not ready, it will humiliate me??o say nothing of you??or having expressed such confidence.

So I have thought it necessary to ask these brothers to go on to you ahead of me, to arrange in advance for this gift you have promised, so as to have it ready, like an expression of your good will, not of your avarice.

God is able to provide you with every blessing in abundance so that you will always have enough for every situation, and ample means for every good enterprise:

He who supplies the sower with seed and so with bread to eat will supply you with seed, and multiply it and enlarge the harvest of your uprightness.

You will grow rich in every way, so that through me you can show perfect liberality that will make men thank God for it.

For the rendering of this service does more than supply the wants of God's people; it results in a wealth of thanksgiving to God.

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

Such people had better understand that when I arrive and take action I will do just as I say I will in my letters when I am far away.

It is no strain for me to do this, as it might be for people who had never got so far, for I was the first to come all the way to you with the good news of the Christ.

and I may preach the gospel in the lands beyond you without having to boast over work already done in another's field.

Do you think that I did wrong in degrading myself to uplift you, because I preached God's good news to you without any compensation?

I robbed other churches, letting them pay me so that I could work for you!

And when I was with you and wanted money, I did not burden any of you, for when the brothers came from Macedonia they supplied what I needed. So I kept myself, as I shall always do, from being a burden to you in any way.

And I shall go on doing as I do, so as to cut the ground from under those who want to make out that in their boasted apostleship they work on the same terms that I do.

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

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

Since many are so human as to boast, I will do it also.

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

If they are Hebrews, so am I! If they are Israelites, so am I! If they are descended from Abraham, so am I!

I have been beaten three times by the Romans, I have been stoned once, I have been shipwrecked three times, a night and a day I have been adrift at sea;

with my frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from the heathen, danger in the city, danger in the desert, danger at sea, danger from false brothers,

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

So to keep me from being too much elated a bitter physical affliction was sent to me, a very messenger of Satan, to harass me, to keep me from being too much elated.

and he said to me, "My favor is enough for you, for only where there is weakness is perfect strength developed." So I am perfectly willing to boast of all my weakness, so that the strength of Christ may shelter me.

That is why I am pleased with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties, when they are endured for Christ's sake, for it is when I am weak that I am strong.

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.

And I will be glad to spend all I have and all I am for your sake. Are you going to love me the less for loving you so intensely?

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

It is yourselves you must test, to see whether you are holding to the faith. It is yourselves you must examine. Do you not know that Jesus Christ is within you? Unless you fail to stand the test!

I hope you will see that I do not fail to stand it.

That is why I write this while I am away from you, so that when I come, I may not have to be harsh in my use of the authority the Lord has given me, for it was to build you up, not to pull you down.

All God's people wish to be remembered to you.