For our glory is in this, in the knowledge which we have that our way of life in the world, and most of all in relation to you, has been holy and true in the eyes of God; not in the wisdom of the flesh, but in the grace of God.

Even as you have been ready, in part, to say that we are your glory, in the same way that you are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

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.

In purposing this did I display "caprice"? Or what I purpose do I purpose in a worldly way, so that it may mean either "Yes, yes," or "No, no"?

I had also written to you to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in every way.

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.

In every way we're troubled but not crushed, frustrated but not in despair,

We always carry around in our [physical] bodies the [threat of] dying, as Jesus did [i.e., the apostles were constantly exposed to impending danger and death], so that the life of Jesus [i.e., His virtue, courage, faithfulness, etc.] may be demonstrated in our bodies [i.e., in the way we live] also.

But having the same spirit of faith, as it is said in the Writings, The words of my mouth came from the faith in my heart; in the same way, our words are the outcome of our faith;

For which cause we do not give way to weariness; but though our outer man is getting feebler, our inner man is made new day by day.

We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but we speak [in such a way as] to give you an occasion to be proud of us, so that you can have an answer for those who take pride in [outward] appearances instead of what is in the heart.

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.

Therefore if any one be in Christ, there is a new creation: the old things are passed way; behold, all things are become new:

To keep my ministry from being found fault with, I am trying not to put a single hindrance in anybody's way.

On the contrary, as a servant of God I try in every way to commend myself to them, through my great endurance in troubles, difficulties, hardships,

Now the same [way] [in] exchange (I am speaking as to children), you open wide [your hearts] also.

For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears.

Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way.

For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter.

And his love to you is the more increased by his memory of you all, how you gave way to his authority, and how you took him to your hearts with fear and honour.

It gives me great joy to see you answering to my good opinion of you in every way.

And that, not only in the way we had expected; but first they gave themselves to the Lord, and to us also, in accordance with God's will.

So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness among you in the same way that he had started it.

but even as ye abound in every way, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in love from you to us, that ye may abound in this grace also.

I speak not by way of command, but to prove the sincerity of your love also, by means of the forwardness of others.

But I will tell you what I think about it. For this is the best way to deal with you, for you were the first not only to do anything about this, but to want to do anything, and that was last year.

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.

For this is not for the ease of others and for your affliction, but by way of equality—

At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair.

I mean to have no one able to find any fault with the way I handle this munificence.

I send with them another brother of ours whose devotion we have often tested in many ways, which is now greater than ever, because of his perfect confidence in you.

Lest if in some way the Macedonians come with me, and find you unprepared, we should be ashamed, (that we should not say, ye) in this principle of boasting.

Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brothers that they would go ahead to you, and arrange in advance your gift that was earlier announced, for this to be ready this way as a gift and not as an exaction.

Now this is the way it is: Whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly too, but whoever sows bountifully will reap bountifully too.

But God is able to make every gracious gift abound towards you, that, having in every way always all-sufficiency, ye may abound to every good work:

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

The way you stand the test of this service must do honor to God, through your fidelity to what you profess as to the good news of Christ, and through the liberality of your contributions for them and for all others;

I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way.

Of course, we are living in the world, but we do not wage war in a world-like way.

For his letters, they say, have weight and are strong; but in body he is feeble, and his way of talking has little force.

But my boasting will not be extravagant, nor exceed the limits God has allowed me, which reach all the way to you.

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.

But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.

I do not think I'm inferior in any way to those "super-apostles."

Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

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.

Again I say, no one should think I am foolish, but if you do, [then] accept me that way, so that I too can boast a little bit.

That I speak, I speak it not after the ways of the Lord: but as it were foolishly, while we are now come to boasting.

Since many people boast in a fleshly way, I will do it, too.

You put up with it, though they make slaves of you, live on you, seize your property, lord it over you, even strike you in the face, in the way of degradation!

I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

I have become a fool. You forced me to be one. Really, I should have been commended by you, for I am not in any way inferior to your "super-apostles," even if I am nothing.

So in what way were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

I gave orders to Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus make any profit out of you? were we not guided by the same Spirit, in the same ways?

For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don't desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;

And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even [though] we are [seen] as though unqualified.

I am glad to be weak if you are strong; mend your ways, that is all I ask.

Finally brothers, farewell. Be thoroughly prepared, be encouraged, think the same way, live in peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you.