then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, the majority of whom remain until now, but some have fallen asleep.

And as a further result, those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.

If {we have put our hope} in Christ in this life only, we are of all people most pitiable.

But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

I die every day--yes indeed, by my boasting in you, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord!

Sober up correctly and {stop sinning}, for some have no knowledge of God--I say [this] to your shame.

And just as we have borne the image of the [one who is] made of earth, we will also bear the image of the heavenly.

Now I urge you, brothers--you know about the household of Stephanas, that they are the first fruits of Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the ministry for the saints--

for they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore recognize such people.

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,

just as you have also understood us in part, that we are your reason for boasting, just as you [are] also ours in the day of our Lord Jesus.

And with this confidence, I was wanting to come to you previously, in order that you may have a second proof of my goodwill,

For I have decided this for myself, not to come to you again in sorrow.

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}.

For out of great distress and anguish of heart I wrote to you through many tears, not so that you may be caused to be sad, but so that you may know the love that I have especially for you.

Now to whomever you forgive anything, I also [do]; for indeed, whatever I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, [it is] {for your sake} in the presence of Christ,

Therefore, [because we] have such a hope, we use much boldness,

Because of this, [since we] have this ministry, just as we have been shown mercy, we do not lose heart,

but we have renounced shameful hidden things, not behaving with craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but with the open proclamation of the truth commending ourselves to every person's conscience before God.

But we have this treasure in earthenware jars, in order that the extraordinary degree of the power may be from God and not from us.

But [because we] have the same spirit of faith in accordance with [what is] written, "I believed, therefore I spoke," we also believe, therefore we also speak,

For we know that if our earthly house, the tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made by hands, eternal in the heavens.

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

Therefore indeed we have as our ambition, whether at home [in the body] or absent [from the body], to be acceptable to him.

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to boast about us, in order that you may have [an answer] for those who boast in appearance and not in heart.

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

So then, from now on we know no one {from a human point of view}, if indeed we have known Christ {from a human point of view}, but now we know [him this way] no longer.

Therefore if anyone [is] in Christ, [he is] a new creation; the old [things] have passed away; behold, new [things] have come.

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

{We have spoken freely and openly} to you, Corinthians; our heart is open wide.

Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers, for what participation [is there between] righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship [does] light [have] with darkness?

And what agreement [does] Christ [have] with Beliar? Or what share [does] a believer [have] with an unbeliever?

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 [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.

{Make room for us in your hearts}. We have wronged no one, we have ruined no one, we have defrauded no one.

I do not say [this] {to condemn you}, because I have already said that you are in our hearts, so that we die together and we live together.

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.

For if I have boasted anything to him about you, I have not been put to shame, but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, thus also our boasting to Titus {has proven to be true}.

that with a great ordeal of affliction, the abundance of their joy and the extreme depth of their poverty have overflowed to the wealth of their generosity.

So now also complete the doing [of it], in order that just as [you have] the eagerness to want [to do it], thus also [you may] complete [it] from [what you] have.

For if the eagerness is present {according to what one has}, [it is] acceptable not {according to what one does not have}.

just as it is written, "The [one] who [gathered] much did not have too much, and the [one] who [gathered] little did not have too little."

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

And we are sending with them our brother whom we have tested many times in many [things] that he is diligent, but now much more diligent [because of his] great confidence in you.

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.

For we are not overextending ourselves, as [if we] had not reached you, because we have reached even as far as you with the gospel of Christ,

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]!

But even if [I am] unskilled in speech, yet [I am] not in knowledge; certainly in everything [we] have made this clear to you in every [way].

I say [this] to [my] shame, namely, that we have been weak. But in whatever anyone dares to [boast]--I am speaking in foolishness--I also dare to [boast].

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep water.

[I have been] on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from [my own] people, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers because of false brothers,

I have become a fool! You compelled me, for I ought to have been commended by you, for [I am] in no way inferior to the preeminent apostles, even if I am nothing.

Indeed, the signs of an apostle have been done among you with all patient endurance, both signs and wonders and deeds of power.

But let [it] be. I have not been a burden to you, but [because I] was crafty, I took you by cunning.

I have not taken advantage of you {through anyone whom I sent to you}, [have I]?

Have you been thinking all this time that we are defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and all [these things], dear friends, [are] for your edification.

[I am afraid] lest [when I] come again my God will humiliate me {in your presence}, and I will grieve over many of those who sinned previously and have not repented because of their impurity and sexual immorality and licentiousness that they have practiced.

I have already said when was present the second time, and [although I] am absent now also say in advance to those who sinned previously and to all the rest, that if I come again I will not spare [anyone],

Because of this, I am writing these [things] [although I] am absent, in order that [when I] am present I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

As we said before, and now I say again, if anyone is proclaiming a gospel [to] you contrary to what you have received, let him be accursed!

For you have heard about my former way of life in Judaism, that to an extraordinary degree I was persecuting the church of God, and trying to destroy it,

Now [this was] because of the false brothers secretly brought in, who slipped in to spy out our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus, in order that they might enslave us,

but knowing that a person is not justified by the works of the law, if not by faith in Jesus Christ, and we have believed in Christ Jesus so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, because by the works of the law {no human being will be justified}.

But if [while] seeking to be justified by Christ, [we] ourselves also have been found [to be] sinners, then [is] Christ an agent of sin? May it never be!

For through the law I died to the law, in order that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ,

Have you suffered so many [things] for nothing--if indeed also [it was] for nothing?

then understand that the ones {who have faith}, these are sons of Abraham.

So then, the ones [who have] faith are blessed together with Abraham who believed.

Therefore [is] the law opposed to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given that was able to give life, certainly righteousness would have been from the law.

for as many [of you] as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

But now, [because you] have come to know God, or rather have come to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and miserable elemental spirits? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again?

I am afraid [for] you, lest perhaps I have labored for you in vain!

I ask you, brothers, become like me, because I also [have become] like you. You have done me no [wrong]!

So where [is] your blessing? For I testify to you that, if possible, you would have torn out your eyes [and] given [them] to me!

So then, have I become your enemy [by] being truthful to you?

For it is written, "Rejoice, O barren woman, who does not give birth to [children]; burst out and shout, [you] who do not have birth pains, because many [are] the children of the desolate [woman], even more than [those of] the one who has a husband."

You are estranged from Christ, [you] who are attempting to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.

I have confidence in you in the Lord that you will think nothing different, but the one who is confusing you {will pay the penalty}, whoever he may be.

Now those {who belong to Christ} have crucified the flesh together with its feelings and its desires.

But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have a reason for boasting in himself alone, and not in someone else.

So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all [people], and especially to those who belong to the household of faith.

in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace,

But now in Christ Jesus you, the ones who once were far away, have become near by the blood of Christ.

because through him [we] both have access in one Spirit to the Father.

--if indeed you have heard [about] the stewardship of God's grace given to me for you.

in whom we have boldness and access in confidence through faith in him.

if indeed you have heard [about] him, and you were taught by him (just as truth is in Jesus),

The one who steals must steal no longer, but instead must labor, working with his own hands [what is] good, so that he may have [something] to share with the one who has need.

For this you know {for certain}, that every sexually immoral [person], or unclean [person], or greedy [person] (who is an idolater), does not have an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

whom I have sent to you for this very [reason], that you may know {our circumstances}, and he may encourage your hearts.

just as it is right for me to think this about all of you, because I have you in my heart, [since] both in my imprisonment and in the defense and confirmation of the gospel all of you are sharers of grace with me.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that {my circumstances} have happened instead for the progress of the gospel,

Therefore my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

For I have no one like-minded who [will] sincerely be concerned about {your circumstances}.

For indeed he was sick, coming near to death, but God had mercy on him and not [on] him only, but also [on] me, so that I would not have grief upon grief.

although I [could] have confidence even in the flesh.

But whatever [things] were gain to me, these [things] I have considered loss because of Christ.

{More than that}, even consider all [things] to be loss because of the surpassing greatness of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for the sake of whom I have suffered the loss of all [things], and consider [them] dung, in order that I may gain Christ

Not that I have already received [this], or [have] already been made perfect, but I press on if indeed I may lay hold of [that] for which also I was laid hold of by Christ.