Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus through the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, together with all the saints who are in all Achaia.

Blessed [is] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those [who are] in all affliction with the comfort with which [we] ourselves are comforted by God.

And our hope for you [is] firm, [because we] know that as you are sharers in the sufferings, so also [you will be sharers] in the comfort.

who delivered us from so great [a risk] of death, and will deliver [us], in whom we have put our hope that he will also deliver [us] again,

[while] you also join in helping {on our behalf} by prayer, so that thanks may be given {on our behalf} by many persons for this gracious gift [given] to us through [the help] of many.

For we are not writing [anything] else to you except what you can read or also understand. But I hope that you will understand {completely},

For if I [cause] you sorrow, then who will make me glad except the one who is caused to be sad by me?

And I wrote this very [thing] in order that [when I] came, I would not experience sorrow from those who ought to have made me glad, [because I] have confidence about you all, that my joy {belongs to all of you}.

But if anyone has caused sorrow, he has not caused me sorrow, but {to some degree}--{in order not to say too much}--[to] all [of] you.

You are our letter, inscribed on our hearts, known and read by all people,

how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more with glory?

For if [there was] glory in the ministry of condemnation, by much more will the ministry of righteousness overflow with glory.

And we all, with unveiled face, reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory into glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

For God who said, "Light will shine out of darkness," [is the one] who has shined in our hearts for the enlightenment of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

[because we] know that the one who raised Jesus will also raise us together with Jesus and present [us] together with you.

For all [these things] {are for your sake}, in order that the grace that is increasing through the many may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.

For our momentary light affliction is producing in us an eternal weight of glory {beyond all measure and proportion},

if indeed, even [after we] have taken [it] off, we will not be found naked.

Therefore, [although we are] always confident and know that [while we] are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord--

For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, in order that each one may receive back the [things] through the body according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

For the love of Christ controls us, [because we] have concluded this: that one died for all; as a result all died.

And he died for all, in order that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for the one who died for them and was raised.

And all these [things] [are] from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ, and who has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

[We are] giving no one an occasion for taking offense in anything, in order that our ministry will not have fault found [with it],

And what agreement [does the] temple of God [have] with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will walk about [among them], and I will be their God and they will be my people."

Therefore "come out from their midst and be separate," says the Lord, "and do not touch what is unclean, and I will welcome you,

and I will be a father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to me," says the all-powerful Lord.

Therefore [since we] have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, accomplishing holiness in the fear of God.

Great [is] my confidence toward you; great [is] my boasting on your behalf; I am filled with encouragement; I am overflowing with joy in all our affliction.

now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to repentance. For you were grieved according to [the will of] God, so that you suffered loss in no way through us.

For grief according to [the will of] God brings about a repentance [leading] to salvation, not to be regretted, but worldly grief brings about death.

For behold how much diligence this very [thing], being grieved according to [the will of] God, has brought about in you: what defense [of yourselves], what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what punishment! In everything you have demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

Because of this we have been encouraged, and in addition to our encouragement, we rejoiced much more over the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been refreshed by all of you.

And his affection for you is all the more [when he] remembers the obedience of all of you as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.

and not just as we had hoped, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and [then] to us, by the will of God.

But just as you excel in everything--in faith and in speaking and in knowledge and with all diligence and in the love from us [that is] in you--so may you excel in this grace also.

At the present time your abundance [will be] for their need, in order that their abundance may also be for your need, so that there may be equality,

And we have sent at the same time with him the brother whose praise in the gospel [has become known] throughout all the churches.

Now [the point is] this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

And God is able to cause all grace to abound to you, so that in everything at all times, [because you] have enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work.

Now the one who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will provide and multiply your seed, and will cause the harvest of your righteousness to grow,

being made rich in every [way] for all generosity, which is producing through us thanksgiving to God,

Through the proven character of this service [they will] glorify God because of the submission of your confession to the gospel of Christ and the generosity of [your] participation toward them and toward everyone,

now I ask [when I] am present [that I will] not [need] to be bold with the confidence [with] which I propose to show boldness toward some who consider us as behaving according to the flesh.

and all pride that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

And {we are ready} to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is completed.

For even if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave [us] {for building you up and not for tearing you down}, I will not be put to shame,

Let such a person consider this: that what we are in word by letters [when we] are absent, [we will] also [be] in {actions} [when we] are present.

But we will not boast {beyond limits}, but according to the measure of the assignment that God has assigned to us as a measure to reach even as far as you.

For if the one who comes proclaims another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed, or you receive a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you put up with [it] well [enough]!

And [when I] was present with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will keep [myself from being a burden].

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

But what I am doing, I will also do, in order that I may remove the opportunity of those who want an opportunity, that they may be found just as also we [are] in what they are boasting about.

Therefore [it is] not a great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

Since many are boasting according to human standards, I also will boast.

Apart from these external things, [there is] the pressure on me every day of the anxiety about all the churches.