Heartfelt thanks be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--the Father who is full of compassion and the God who gives all comfort.

For just as Christ’s sufferings are ours in abundance [as they overflow to His followers], so also our comfort [our reassurance, our encouragement, our consolation] is abundant through Christ [it is truly more than enough to endure what we must].

You don't have to read between the lines of my letters; you can understand them. Yes, I trust you will understand the full meaning of my letters

Not that we rule over your faith, but are fellow-workmen of your joy: for by faith ye stand.

how will the ministry of the Spirit fail to be even more with glory?

Such being my hope then, I am quite frank and open ??13 not like Moses, who used to hang a veil over his face to keep the children of Israel from gazing at the last rays of a fading glory.

And not as Moses, which put a vail over his face, that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished:

But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same vail untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which vail is done away in Christ.

But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the vail is upon their heart.

Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the vail shall be taken away.

And all of us, with faces from which the veil is lifted, seeing, as if reflected in a mirror, the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into his likeness, from glory to glory, as it is given by the Lord, the Spirit.

Nay, we have renounced the secrecy which marks a feeling of shame. We practice no cunning tricks, nor do we adulterate God's Message. But by a full clear statement of the truth we strive to commend ourselves in the presence of God to every human conscience.

But even if our gospel is [in some sense] hidden [behind a veil], it is hidden [only] to those who are perishing;

Thus we are constantly dying, while you are in full enjoyment of Life.

So then, being always filled with good courage and confident hope, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—

Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

But as fellow-workmen, we also beseech that ye receive not the grace of God in vain:

We endeavour to give people no cause for stumbling in anything, lest the work we are doing should fall into discredit.

On the contrary, as God's servants, we seek their full approval--by unwearied endurance, by afflictions, by distress, by helplessness;

As full of sorrow, but ever glad; as poor, but giving wealth to others; as having nothing, but still having all things.

O Corinthians, my heart is so full, my tongue cannot be silent:

Seeing that we have such promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, and grow up to full holiness in the fear of God.

My words to you are without fear, I am full of pride on account of you: I have great comfort and joy in all our troubles.

Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

yet I am glad now, not because you were hurt and made sorry, but because your sorrow led to repentance [and you turned back to God]; for you felt a grief such as God meant you to feel, so that you might not suffer loss in anything on our account.

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.

For this reason we feel comforted; and--in addition to this our comfort--we have been filled with all the deeper joy at Titus's joy, because his spirit has been set at rest by you all.

For however I may have boasted to him about you, I have no reason to feel ashamed; but as we have in all respects spoken the truth to you, so also our boasting to Titus about you has turned out to be the truth.

I am glad that I can feel perfect confidence in you.

For I testify that they gave [financial help] to the full limit of their ability, yes and even beyond it. [And they did this] entirely on their own,

And with many an appeal to us for permission, they showed their love, and contributed their share towards the fund for their fellow-Christians.

And that as you are full of every good thing, of faith, of the word, of knowledge, of a ready mind, and of love to us, so you may be full of this grace in the same way.

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

Thank God, he puts the same devotion to you that I feel into Titus' heart,

For he received indeed the entreaty, but, being full of zeal, he went of his own accord to you;

and not only so, but is also chosen by the assemblies as our fellow-traveller with this grace, ministered by us to the glory of the Lord himself, and a witness of our readiness;

Whether any inquire about Titus, he is my partner and my fellow-worker to you-ward, or our brethren, they are the messengers of the churches, they are the glory of Christ.

With reference, indeed, to the Fund for your fellow-Christians, it is quite superfluous for me to say anything to you.

But I send the brothers so that our pride in you may not have a fall in this matter, but you may be all ready as I have told them you will;

Otherwise, if any Macedonians were to come with me, and find you unprepared, we--to say nothing of you--should feel ashamed of our present confidence.

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.

But in the Writings it says, He who puts in only a small number of seeds, will get in the same; and he who puts them in from a full hand, will have produce in full measure from them.

And God is able to give you all grace in full measure; so that ever having enough of all things, you may be full of every good work:

For the rendering of a public service such as this, not only relieves the needs of your fellow-Christians, but also results in the offering to God of many a thanksgiving.

and in their supplication for you, full of ardent desire for you, on account of the exceeding grace of God which is upon you.

Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!) --

I make this request so that I do not have to be bold when I am present [with you], and feel compelled to speak in an authoritative tone to some people [there] who think we are living by worldly standards.

and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be made full.

If, however, I were to boast more loudly of our Apostolic authority, which the Lord has given us that we may build you up, not pull you down, I should have no reason to feel ashamed.

for I feel a divine jealousy on your behalf; I betrothed you as a chaste maiden to present you to your one husband Christ,

But I suppose that I fall nothing short of the very chief apostles.

I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.

What I am now saying, I do not say by the Lord's command, but as a fool in his folly might, in this reckless boasting.

I am ashamed to admit it, but we have been too weak for that. Whatever anyone else dares to claim I am talking like a fool I can claim it, too.

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods, once I have been stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked, once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea.

Who is weak, and I do not feel [his] weakness? Who is made to sin, and I am not on fire [with sorrow and concern]?

For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me.

I am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, though I be nothing.

But be that as it may, I did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I took you in by deceit.

I urged Titus [i.e., to go to you to arrange for the special offering. See 8:6], and I sent the brother with him. [See 8:18]. Did Titus take any [financial] advantage of you? Do we not [both] have the same attitude [in this matter]? Do we not [both] follow the same procedures?

For though it is true that He was crucified through weakness, yet He now lives through the power of God. We also are weak, sharing His weakness, but with Him we shall be full of life to deal with you through the power of God.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.

I hope, however, that ye shall come to know, that, we, fail not in the testing!

Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong—not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right, even though we may appear to fail.

(Fail or succeed, I cannot work against the truth but for it!)

For we are glad when we are weak and ye are strong. And this also we pray for, your full qualification.