If Timothy comes, see to it that he does not have anything to be afraid of while he is with you, for he is doing the Lord's work as I am.

Therefore, no one should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may come to me, because I am expecting him along with the brothers.

Now I urge you, brothers for you know that the members of the family of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to serving the saints

I am glad that Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus came here, because what was lacking they have supplied through you.

They refreshed my spirit and yours, too. Therefore, appreciate men like that.

who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God.

If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering.

Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.

For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living.

In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace especially toward you.

just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle that I can say "Yes" and "No" at the same time?

As certainly as God is faithful, we haven't talked to you with mixed messages like that.

I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.

It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

This is the very reason I wrote you, so that when I did come I might not be made sad by those who should have made me happy. For I had confidence that all of you would share the joy that I have.

That's why I'm urging you to assure him of your love.

so that we may not be outsmarted by Satan. After all, we are not unaware of his intentions.

You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah's letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

Such is the confidence that we have in God through the Messiah.

By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God,

Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses' face (because the glory was fading away from it),

In fact, that which once had glory lost its glory, because the other glory surpassed it.

For if that which fades away came through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory?

However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah is that veil removed.

But we have this treasure in clay jars to show that its extraordinary power comes from God and not from us.

We are always carrying around the death of Jesus in our bodies, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our bodies.

While we are alive, we are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus may be clearly shown in our mortal bodies.

We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us to God together with you.

All this is for your sake so that, as his grace spreads, more and more people will give thanks and glorify God.

That's why we are not discouraged. No, even if outwardly we are wearing out, inwardly we are being renewed each and every day.

because we do not look for things that can be seen but for things that cannot be seen. For things that can be seen are temporary, but things that cannot be seen are eternal.

We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human hands.

So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life.

Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord.

For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.

We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.

The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died.

He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.

So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don't think of him that way anymore.

God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God's righteousness would be produced in us.

Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God's servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities;

Since we have these promises, dear friends, let's cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.

I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together.

If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while.

For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.

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.

So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.

I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.

We want you to know, brothers, about God's grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia.

I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability.

We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God's will.

So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness among you in the same way that he had started it.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah. Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.

Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness to complete it.

Not that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it is a question of fairness.

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

But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have.

More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.

Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you.

For I know how willing you are, and I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has stimulated most of them.

Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter may not prove to be an idle boast, and so that you may stand ready, just as I said.

Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated to say nothing of you in this undertaking.

Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work.

Now he who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness.

And so in their prayers for you they will long for you because of God's exceptional grace that was shown to you.

I beg you that when I come I will not need to be courageous by daring to oppose some people who think that we are living according to the flesh.

and every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive in order to obey the Messiah.

Look at the plain facts! If anyone is confident that he belongs to the Messiah, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to the Messiah, so do we.

I do not want you to think that I am trying to frighten you with my letters.

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.

We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows.

However, I am afraid that just as the serpent deceived Eve by its tricks, so your minds may somehow be lured away from sincere and pure devotion to the Messiah.

Did I commit a sin when I humbled myself by proclaiming to you the gospel of God free of charge, so that you could be exalted?

Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!

I will say it again: No one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, then treat me like a fool so that I can also boast a little.

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.

If I must boast, I will boast about the things that show how weak I am.

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

I know a man who belongs to the Messiah. Fourteen years ago whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows that man was snatched away to the third heaven.

I know that this man whether in his body or outside of his body, I do not know, but God knows

was snatched away to Paradise and heard things that cannot be expressed in words, things that no human being has a right even to mention.

To keep me from becoming conceited because of the exceptional nature of these revelations, a thorn was given to me and placed in my body. It was Satan's messenger to keep on tormenting me so that I would not become conceited.

but he has told me, "My grace is all you need, because my power is perfected in weakness." Therefore, I will most happily boast about my weaknesses, so that the Messiah's power may rest on me.

That is why I take such pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and difficulties for the Messiah's sake, for when I am weak, then I am strong.

How were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I did not bother you for help? Forgive me for this wrong!

Granting that I have not been a burden to you, was I a clever schemer who trapped you by some trick?

Have you been thinking all along that we are trying to defend ourselves before you? We are speaking before God in the authority of the Messiah, and everything, dear friends, is meant to build you up.

I am afraid that I may come and somehow find you not as I want to find you, and that you may find me not as you want to find me. Perhaps there will be quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly conduct.

I am afraid that when I come my God may again humble me before you and that I may have to grieve over many who formerly lived in sin and have not repented of their impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity that they once practiced.

since you want proof that the Messiah is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you but is making his power felt among you.

Keep examining yourselves to see whether you are continuing in the faith. Test yourselves! You know, don't you, that Jesus the Messiah lives in you? Could it be that you are failing the test?

I hope you will realize that we haven't failed our test.

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.

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

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you by the grace of the Messiah and, instead, are following a different gospel,

not that another one really exists. To be sure, there are certain people who are troubling you and want to distort the gospel about the Messiah.

But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that person be condemned!

What we have told you in the past I am now telling you again: If anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that person be condemned!