O Death, where is your victory? O Death, where is your sting?

The victory is ours, thank God! He makes it ours by our Lord Jesus Christ.

Well then, my beloved brothers, hold your ground, immovable; abound in work for the Lord at all times, for you may be sure that in the Lord your labour is never thrown away.

With regard to the collection for the saints, you must carry out the same arrangements as I made for the churches of Galatia.

I do not care about seeing you at this moment merely in the by-going; my hope is to stay among you for some time, with the Lord's permission.

When Timotheus arrives, see that you make him feel quite at home with you; he carries on the work of the Lord as I do.

As for our brother Apollos, I urged him to accompany the other brothers on a visit to you; he will come as soon as he has time, but for the present it is not the will of God that he should visit you.

They refresh my spirit as they do your own. You should appreciate men like that.

The churches of Asia salute you. Aquila and Prisca, with the church that meets in their house, salute you warmly in the Lord.

PAUL an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and brother Timotheus, to the church of God at Corinth as well as to all the saints throughout the whole of Achaia:

For as the sufferings of Christ are abundant in my case, so my comfort is also abundant through Christ.

If I am in distress, it is in the interests of your comfort and salvation; if I am comforted, it is in the interests of your comfort, which is effective as it nerves you to endure the same sufferings as I suffer myself.

Hence my hope for you is well-founded, since I know that as you share the sufferings you share the comfort also.

Now I would like you to know about the distress which befell me in Asia, brothers. I was crushed, crushed far more than I could stand, so much so that I despaired even of life;

My proud boast is the testimony of my conscience that holiness and godly sincerity, not worldly cunning but the grace of God, have marked my conduct in the outside world and in particular my relations with you.

as you have partly understood the meaning of my life, namely that I am your source of pride (as you are mine) on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

I intended to take you on my way to Macedonia, and to visit you again on my way back from Macedonia, so as to be sped by you on my journey to Judaea.

Such was my intention. Now, have I shown myself 'fickle'? When I propose some plan, do I propose it in a worldly way, ready to mean 'no' as well as 'yes'?

for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by us (by myself and Silvanus and Timotheus) was not 'yes and no' ??the divine 'yes' has at last sounded in him,

for in him is the 'yes' that affirms all the promises of God. Hence it is through him that we affirm our 'amen' in worship, to the glory of God.

And it is God who confirms me along with you in Christ, who consecrated me,

who stamped me with his seal and gave me the Spirit as a pledge in my heart.

For if I pain you, then who is to give me pleasure? None but the very people I am paining!

If a certain individual has been causing pain, he has been causing pain not so much to me as to all of you ??at anyrate (for I am not going to overstate the case) to a section of you.

This censure from the majority is severe enough for the individual in question,

so that instead of censuring you should now forgive him and comfort him, in case the man is overwhelmed by excessive remorse.

I live for God as the fragrance of Christ breathed alike on those who are being saved and on those who are perishing,

to the one a deadly fragrance that makes for death, to the other a vital fragrance that makes for life. And who is qualified for this career?

Such is the confidence I possess through Christ in my service of God.

It is not that I am personally qualified to form any judgment by myself; my qualifications come from God,

Besides, their minds were dulled, for to this very day, when the Old Testament is read aloud, the same veil hangs. Veiled from them the fact that the glory fades in Christ!

Yes, down to this day, whenever Moses is read aloud, the veil rests on their heart;

though whenever they turn to the Lord, the veil is removed.