Who consoleth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to console those who are in any tribulation, through the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God.

and our hope in your behalf is steadfast, knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so are ye of the consolation also.

For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning our tribulation which befell us in Asia; that we were exceedingly weighed down beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

yea, we ourselves had in ourselves the sentence of death, 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 still deliver: on Whom we have set our hope, that He will also still deliver;

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

For our glorying 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 toward you.

as also ye did acknowledge in part, that we are your theme of boasting, as ye also will be ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.

And in this confidence I was purposing before to come to you, that ye might have a second favor;

When, therefore, I was purposing this, did I manifest fickleness or the things which I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be the "Yea, yea," and the "Nay, nay?"

But I invoke God as a witness upon my soul, that, as sparing you, I came not yet to Corinth.

Not that we have lordship over your faith, but are helpers of your joy; for by faith ye have been standing.

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

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

And I wrote this very thing, that I might not, when I came, have sorrow from those of whom I ought to have joy; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all.

For out of much tribulation and anguish of heart I wrote to you, through many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly toward you.

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

so that, on the contrary, ye ought rather to forgive and console him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his excessive 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 we might not be over-reached by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

being made manifest that ye are Christ's epistle ministered 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 reckon anything as from ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God;

But, if the ministration of death, engraven in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily upon the face of Moses on account of the glory of his face, which glory was passing away;

For even that which has been made glorious has not been made glorious in this respect, on account of the surpassing glory;

for, if that which is passing away comes through glory, much more that which remains is in glory.

and not as Moses, who put a veil over his face, that the sons of Israel might not look steadily to the end of that which was passing away.

in whom the god of this world 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 shine upon them.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness 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 up to death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

So that death is working in us, but life in you.

knowing that He Who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise up us also with Jesus, and will present us with you.

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

while we look not at the things that are seen, but at the things that are not seen; for the things that are seen are temporal, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

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.

For, indeed, we who are in the tabernacle groan, being weighed down; not that we wish to be unclothed, but be clothed upon, that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Being, therefore, always of good courage, and knowing that, while dwelling in the body, we are absent from the Lord

For we must all be manifested before the judgment-seat of Christ; that each one may receive the things done through the body, according to the things which he practiced, whether good or evil.

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

We are not again commending ourselves to you, but giving you occasion of glorying on our behalf, that ye may have something suited to those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

For the love of Christ is constraining us; having judged this, that One died for all; consequently, they all died:

and He died for all, that those who live should no longer live to themselves, but to Him Who died for them, and rose again.

how that God was in Christ, reconciling the world to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses, and having put in us the word of reconciliation.

Him Who knew no sin He made to be sin on our behalf, that we may become God's righteousness in Him.

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

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

I say it not with the view to your condemnation; for I have said before that ye are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

and not by his coming only, but also by the consolation with which he was consoled over you; rehearsing to us your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced the more:

because, even if I did make you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it; for I see that that letter made you sorry, though but for a season.

Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that in nothing ye might receive damage from us.

So, although I wrote to you, it was not on account of him who did the wrong, nor of him who suffered wrong, but that your earnest care on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God.

I rejoice, that in everything I have good courage concerning you.

that, in much trial of tribulation, the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded to the riches of their liberality.

so that we exhorted Titus that, as he began before, so also he would finish in you this same grace also.

But, as ye abound in everything??n faith, and speech, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love to us??ee that ye abound in this grace also.

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

And now complete the doing also; that, as there was a readiness to will, so also there may be the completion out of what ye have;

For it is not that there may be relief to others, but distress to you;

but, by the rule of equality, your abundance being a supply, at the present time, for their deficiency; that also their abundance may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality:

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

and not that only, but who was also appointed by the assemblies, as our fellow-traveler with this gift which is ministered by us to the glory of the Lord, and our zeal;

avoiding this, that no one 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 the Macedonians, that Achaia has been prepared for a year past; and your zeal stirred up the majority of them.

But I 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 the Macedonians should come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not ye) should be put to shame in this confidence.

I thought it necessary, therefore, to exhort the brethren, that they should go before to you, and make up beforehand your previously promised bounty, that this may be ready as a matter of bounty and not as of covetousness.

But I say this: He that sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly; and he that sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully.

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

but I pray that, when present, I may not show courage with the confidence with which I purpose to be bold against some who reckon us as walking according to the flesh.

Ye look at things according to appearance. If anyone has trusted to himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, as he is Christ's, so also are we.

that I may not seem as if I would terrify you with letters;

Let such a one consider this: that such as we are in word through letters, when absent; such also are we in deed, when present.

not glorying beyond our measure in other men's labors; but, having hope that, as your faith increases, we shall be enlarged among you according to our limit to further abundance,

But he that glories let him glory in the Lord;

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

Would that ye could bear with me in some little foolishness! Yea, 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 may present you as a pure virgin to Christ;

For, if he that comes preaches 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; well do ye bear with him.

For I reckon that I am in no respect behind the most eminent apostles.

Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself, that ye might be exalted, because I proclaimed to you the Gospel of God without cost?

I robbed other assemblies, taking wages of them, that I might minister to you;

But what I am doing, I also will do, that I may cut off the occasion from those desiring occasion, that wherein they glory they may be found even as we.

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

Apart from those things without, that which is a pressure upon me daily, anxiety for all the assemblies.

If I must glory, I will glory in the things that pertain to my weakness.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is blessed forevermore, knoweth that I lie not.

that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unutterable sayings, which it is not lawful for a man to speak.

And, that I might not be exalted overmuch by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.

And He hath said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you; for My power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

For what is there in which ye were made inferior to the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? forgive me this wrong!

Think ye all this time that we are excusing ourselves to you? Before God in Christ we are speaking; and all, beloved, for your edification.

For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I desire, and that I, too, should be found by you such as ye do not desire; lest, by any means, there should be strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults;

I have said beforehand, and I do say beforehand, as if present at the second time, and, being now absent, I write to those who heretofore have sinned, and to all the rest; that, if I come again, I will not spare;

Try yourselves, whether ye are in the faith; prove yourselves. Or know ye not as to yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, unless ye be rejected?

But I hope that ye shall know, that we are not rejected.

Now we pray to God that ye do no evil; not that we may appear approved, but that ye may do what is honorable, though we be rejected.

For this cause, I write these things while absent; that I may not, when present, deal sharply according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not casting down.