You at the same time helping together by your prayer for us; so that for what has been given to us through a number of persons, praise may go up to God for us from all of them.

For my boast is what my conscience tells me, that my relations to the world and still more to you have been marked by pure motives and godly sincerity, not by worldly shrewdness but by the favor of God.

For what I am writing to you is only what you can read and understand, and I hope that you will understand it fully,

Wishing this therefore, did I use lightness? or what I wish do I wish according to the flesh, that with me there may be the yes, yes, and the no, no?

But [as surely as] God is faithful and means what He says, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No” [at the same time].

for what I, and Timothy, and Silvanus preached concerning Jesus Christ, the son of God, is not inconsistent, but invariably the same.

not that I would arbitrarily prescribe what you should believe, but rather encourage you to go on: for 'tis by faith you have stood.

This is what I said in my letter, so that I might avoid coming and having my feelings hurt by the very people who might have been expected to make me happy, for I felt sure about you all, that what made me happy would make you all happy.

I had this further object, also, in what I wrote--to ascertain whether you might be relied upon to be obedient in everything.

The man that you forgive I too forgive. For if I have forgiven him anything, it is what I have forgiven him in the very presence of Christ for your sake,

to keep Satan from getting the better of us. For we know what he is after.

and he has qualified me to serve him in the interests of a new agreement, not in writing but of spirit. For what is written kills, but the Spirit gives life.

For in comparison with its surpassing splendor, what was splendid has come to have no splendor at all.

For if what faded away came with splendor, how much more splendid what is permanent must be!

and do not as Moses - which put a veil over his face, that the children of Israel should not see for what purpose that served, which is put away.

And we have given up the secret things of shame, not walking in false ways, and not making use of the word of God with deceit; but by the revelation of what is true, as before God, we have the approval of every man's sense of right and wrong.

For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves [merely] as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake.

But having the same Spirit of faith, according to what is written, "I believed, and therefore have I spoken," we also believe, and therefore speak:

because I keep my eyes not on what is seen but what is unseen. For what is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal.

For I know, that if my body, which is but a tent for my sojourning upon earth, were dissolved, I have what is not fram'd by human art, but by the divine architect, a mansion eternal in the heavens.

For I who am still in my tent sigh with anxiety, because I do not want to be stripped of it, but to put on the other over it, so that what is only mortal may be absorbed in life.

Now he who has made us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a witness of what is to come.

Come what may, then, I am confident; I know that while I reside in the body I am away from the Lord

(for I have to guide my steps by faith, not by what is seen)??8 yet I am confident, and I prefer to leave my home in the body and make my home with the Lord.

For we must all appear before the judgment-bar of Christ, that each may get his pay for what he has done, whether it be good or bad.

It is with this knowledge of what the fear of the Lord means that I appeal to men. My true character is perfectly plain to God, and I hope to your consciences too.

We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may be able to answer those who take pride in outward appearance and not in 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.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away -- look, what is new has come!

He made Christ who knew no sin to [judicially] be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we would become the righteousness of God [that is, we would be made acceptable to Him and placed in a right relationship with Him by His gracious lovingkindness].

in honour and disgrace, under infamy, and in repute: look'd upon as an impostor, while I say what is true;

Set yourselves therefore at large, and bear not a stranger's yoke with the unbelievers. For what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? What company hath light with darkness?

What concord hath Christ with Belial? Either, what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?

What bargain can a temple of God make with idols? For we are a temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and move among them, And I will be their God and they will be my people."

Therefore: "'Come out of company with them, and separate from them,' the Lord has said, 'And stop touching what is unclean; then I will welcome you,

but I am glad now ??not glad that you were pained but glad that your pain induced you to repent. For you were pained as God meant you to be pained, and so you got no harm from what I did;

Behold what diligence this godly sorrow that ye took hath wrought in you: yea it caused you to clear yourselves. It caused indignation, it caused fear, it caused desire, it caused a fervent mind, it caused punishment. For in all things ye have showed yourselves that ye were clear in that matter.

This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you.

For I was not put to shame in anything in which I may have made clear to him my pride in you; but as we said nothing to you but what was true, so the good things which I said to Titus about you were seen by him to be true.

His heart goes out all the more to you, as he recalls how you all obeyed him, and with what reverence and trembling you received him.

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 too, so that your readiness to finish it may be just like your readiness to start it, in accordance with what you have.

If a man is willing to give, the value of his gift is in its proportion to what he has, not to what he has not.

but to equalize the burden, and in the present situation to have your plenty make up for what they need, so that some day their plenty may make up for what you need, and so things may be made equal??15 as the Scripture says, "The man who got much did not have too much, and the man who got little did not have too little."

What is more, he has been appointed by the churches to travel with me in the interests of this generous undertaking, which I am superintending to honor the Lord and to show our readiness to help.

What we are specially guarding against is that any fault should be found with us in regard to our administration of this charitable fund;

I intend to do what is right not only in the Lord's sight but in the eyes of men.

Display to them, therefore, before the churches, the proof of your love, and of what we have boasted on your behalf.

So my reason for sending our Brothers is to prevent what we said about you from proving, in this particular matter, an empty boast, and to enable you to be as well prepared as I have been saying that you are.

Everyone must give what he has made up his mind to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion; God loves a man who is glad to give.

now he that furnishes seed to the sower, and bread for food, shall furnish and multiply what you sow, and increase the fruits of your liberality.

You will be made rich in everything so you can be generous in every way. This will result in people thanking God [for what you have done] through us.

Because the ministration of this service is not only filling up the measure of what is lacking to the saints, but also abounding by many thanksgivings to God;

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;

Praise be to God for what he has given, which words have no power to say.

Now I, Paul, myself make request to you by the quiet and gentle behaviour of Christ, I who am poor in spirit when with you, but who say what is in my mind to you without fear when I am away from you:

Do ye look at what concerns appearance? If any one has confidence in himself that he is of Christ, let him think this again in himself, that even as he is of Christ, so also are we.

Such people should consider this: When I arrive for action I shall do exactly what I said I would in my letters when far away.

For we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with certain people who commend themselves. People who measure their [spiritual] stature by what [they think] they are, and compare their [spiritual] status with their own set of standards, are foolish.

We will not boast about what cannot be evaluated. Instead, we will stay within the field that God assigned us, so as to reach even you.

Not taking credit to ourselves for what is not our business, that is, for the work of others; but having hope that, with the growth of your faith, we may get the credit for an increase which is the effect of our work,

so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you, not boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry.

if he that is come to you, preaches another Jesus whom I have not preached, or if ye receive other gifts of the spirit, than what ye have received from me, or another gospel, than what you have accepted, you might well bear with his pretensions:

Though I be rude in speaking, yet I am not so in knowledge. Howbeit, among you we are known to the utmost what we are in all things.

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.

Nevertheless what I do, that will I do to cut away occasion from them which desire occasion, that they might be found like unto us in that wherein they rejoice:

So it is no surprise if his servants also masquerade as ministers for doing right, whose doom shall be in accordance with what they do.

To return to what I was saying. Let no one suppose that I am foolish. Or if you must, at any rate make allowance for me as being foolish, in order that I, as well as they, may boast a little.

When I boast in this reckless way, I do not say what I am saying for the Lord, but as a fool would talk.

You tolerate anyone who makes you his slaves, devours what you have, takes what is yours, orders you around, or slaps your face!

I speak of their reproaches, as if we were weak. In what ever matter any one is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I also am bold.

If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

for if I may wish to boast, I shall not be a fool, for truth I will say; but I forebear, lest any one in regard to me may think anything above what he doth see me, or doth hear anything of me;

And he said to me, My grace is enough for you, for my power is made complete in what is feeble. Most gladly, then, will I take pride in my feeble body, so that the power of Christ may be on me.

Now this is playing the fool! But you forced me to it, instead of coming forward yourselves and vouching for me. That was what I deserved; for, 'nobody' as I am, I am not one whit inferior to these precious 'apostles.'

For what is it wherein ye were inferiors unto other congregations? Except it be therein that I was not grievous unto you. Forgive me this wrong done unto you.

Now I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

what, did I make a gain of you by any body I sent to you?

For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me not what you wish. I am afraid that somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

We pray to God that you will not do anything wrong not to show that we have not failed the test, but so that you may do what is right, even if we seem to have failed.

Because we are able to do nothing against what is true, but only for it.

We are glad when we are weak and you are strong. That is what we are praying for your maturity.

Now brothers, goodbye! Be what you ought to be, listen to my appeal, agree with one another, live in peace, and God the source of love and peace will be with you.