For our reason for confidence is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives and sincerity which are from God -- not by human wisdom but by the grace of God -- we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more toward you.

And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,

Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I? Or do I make my plans according to mere human standards so that I would be saying both "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?

And I wrote this very thing to you, so that when I came I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours.

This punishment on such an individual by the majority is enough for him,

so that now instead you should rather forgive and comfort him. This will keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive grief to the point of despair.

For this reason also I wrote you: to test you to see if you are obedient in everything.

But their minds were closed. For to this very day, the same veil remains when they hear the old covenant read. It has not been removed because only in Christ is it taken away.

But until this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds,

Therefore, since we have this ministry, just as God has shown us mercy, we do not become discouraged.

among whom the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.

But we have this treasure in clay jars, so that the extraordinary power belongs to God and does not come from us.

For in this earthly house we groan, because we desire to put on our heavenly dwelling,

For we groan while we are in this tent, since we are weighed down, because we do not want to be unclothed, but clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.

Now the one who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Spirit as a down payment.

For the love of Christ controls us, since we have concluded this, that Christ died for all; therefore all have died.

I do not say this to condemn you, for I told you before that you are in our hearts so that we die together and live together with you.

For see what this very thing, this sadness as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, what punishment! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

And they did this not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

Thus we urged Titus that, just as he had previously begun this work, so also he should complete this act of kindness for you.

But as you excel in everything -- in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you -- make sure that you excel in this act of kindness too.

I am not saying this as a command, but I am testing the genuineness of your love by comparison with the eagerness of others.

So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give,

For I do not say this so there would be relief for others and suffering for you, but as a matter of equality.

In addition, this brother has also been chosen by the churches as our traveling companion as we administer this generous gift to the glory of the Lord himself and to show our readiness to help.

We did this as a precaution so that no one should blame us in regard to this generous gift we are administering.

For it is not necessary for me to write you about this service to the saints,

because I know your eagerness to help. I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours, that Achaia has been ready to give since last year, and your zeal to participate has stirred up most of them.

But I am sending these brothers so that our boasting about you may not be empty in this case, so that you may be ready just as I kept telling them.

For if any of the Macedonians should come with me and find that you are not ready to give, we would be humiliated (not to mention you) by this confidence we had in you.

Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift and not as something you feel forced to do.

My point is this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

because the service of this ministry is not only providing for the needs of the saints but is also overflowing with many thanks to God.

Through the evidence of this service they will glorify God because of your obedience to your confession in the gospel of Christ and the generosity of your sharing with them and with everyone.

You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to Christ, so too do we.

Let such a person consider this: What we say by letters when we are absent, we also are in actions when we are present.

And even if I am unskilled in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

What I am saying with this boastful confidence I do not say the way the Lord would. Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.

And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows)

For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me,

I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me.

For how were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

Have you been thinking all this time that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up.

This is the third time I am coming to visit you. By the testimony of two or three witnesses every matter will be established.

For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong. And we pray for this: that you may become fully qualified.

Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive I may not have to deal harshly with you by using my authority -- the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!