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

who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

and our hope for you is stedfast; knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort.

For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell us in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:

who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us;

ye also helping together on our behalf by your supplication; that, for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf.

For our glorifying is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we behaved ourselves in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.

as also ye did acknowledge us in part, that we are your glorying, even as ye also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus.

And in this confidence I was minded to come first unto you, that ye might have a second benefit;

When I therefore was thus minded, did I show fickleness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the yea yea and the nay nay?

Now he that establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God;

But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that to spare you I forbare to come unto Corinth.

Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy: for in faith ye stand fast.

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

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

And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

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

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

so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.

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

that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish;

being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh.

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

But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away:

For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth.

For if that which passeth away was with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.

and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly 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 remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ.

And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that perish:

in whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn upon them .

Seeing it is God, that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

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

always bearing about in the body the dying of Jesus, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our body.

For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus'sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

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

knowing that he that raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also with Jesus, and shall 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 unto the glory of God.

For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens.

if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked.

For indeed we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened; not for that we would be unclothed, but that we would be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up of life.

Now he that wrought us for this very thing is God, who gave unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

For we must all be made manifest before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

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

We are not again commending ourselves unto you, but'speak as giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, that ye may have wherewith to answer them that glory in appearance, and not in heart.

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

and he died for all, that they that live should no longer live unto themselves, but unto him who for their sakes died and rose again.

to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not reckoning unto them their trespasses, and having committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

Him who knew no sin he made to be'sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.

And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain

giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministration be not blamed;

I say it not to condemn you : for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together and live together.

Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

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

For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it (for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season),

I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.

For behold, this selfsame thing, that ye were made sorry after a godly sort, what earnest care it wrought in you, yea what clearing of yourselves, yea what indignation, yea what fear, yea what longing, yea what zeal, yea what avenging! In everything ye approved yourselves to be pure in the matter.

So although I wrote unto 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 made manifest unto you in the sight of God.

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

how that in much proof of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he made a beginning before, so he would also complete in you this grace also.

But as ye abound in everything, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all earnestness, and in your love to us,'see that ye abound in this grace also.

For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich.

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

For I say not this that others may be eased and ye distressed;

but by equality: your abundance being a supply at this present time for their want, that their abundance also may become a supply for your want; that there may be equality:

as it is written, He that gathered much had nothing over; and he that gathered little had no lack.

Avoiding this, that any man should blame us in the matter of this bounty which is ministered by us:

for I know your readiness, of which I glory on your behalf to them of Macedonia, that Achaia hath been prepared for a year past; and your zeal hath stirred up very many of them.

But I have sent the brethren, that our glorying on your behalf may not be made void in this respect; that, even as I said, ye may be prepared:

lest by any means, if there come with me any of Macedonia and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.

I thought it necessary therefore to entreat the brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your aforepromised bounty, that the same might be ready as a matter of bounty, and not of extortion.

But this I say, He that soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he that soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully.

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

And he that supplieth seed to the sower and bread for food, shall supply and multiply your seed for sowing, and increase the fruits of your righteousness:

seeing that through the proving of you by this ministration they glorify God for the obedience of your confession unto the gospel of Christ, and for the liberality of your contribution unto them and unto all;

yea, I beseech you, that I may not when present show courage with the confidence wherewith I count to be bold against some, who count of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

casting down imaginations, and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;

Ye look at the things that are before your face. If any man trusteth in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Christ's, so also are we.

that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.

Let such a one reckon this, that, what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.

For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with certain of them that commend themselves: but they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

not glorying beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors; but having hope that, as your faith groweth, we shall be magnified in you according to our province unto further abundance,

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: but indeed ye do bear with me.

For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him .

For I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought?

I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you;

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if ye do , yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little.

That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying.

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

Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.

If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.