If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate—to all of you.

I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

I had no rest in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.

For we are not like the many who market God’s message for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

It is clear that you are Christ’s letter, produced by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God—not on stone tablets but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.

It is not that we are competent in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.

He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses’ face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory—

how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.

We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not stare at the end of what was fading away,

but their minds were closed. For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.

Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up.

Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking in deceit or distorting God’s message, but commending ourselves to every person’s conscience in God’s sight by an open display of the truth.

For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus.

Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.

We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair;

we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed.

Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day.

So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

For we know that if our temporary, earthly dwelling is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal dwelling in the heavens, not made with hands.

since, when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.

Indeed, we groan while we are in this tent, burdened as we are, because we do not want to be unclothed but clothed, so that mortality may be swallowed up by life.

For we walk by faith, not by sight,

We are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who take pride in the outward appearance rather than in the heart.

From now on, then, we do not know anyone in a purely human way. Even if we have known Christ in a purely human way, yet now we no longer know Him in this way.

That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed the message of reconciliation to us.

He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

We give no opportunity for stumbling to anyone, so that the ministry will not be blamed.

as unknown yet recognized;
as dying and look—we live;
as being disciplined yet not killed;

You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections.

Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?

Therefore, come out from among them
and be separate, says the Lord;
do not touch any unclean thing,
and I will welcome you.

and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he received from you. He told us about your deep longing, your sorrow, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more.

For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—even though I did regret it since I saw that the letter grieved you, yet only for a little while.

Now I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because your grief led to repentance. For you were grieved as God willed, so that you didn’t experience any loss from us.

For godly grief produces a repentance not to be regretted and leading to salvation, but worldly grief produces death.

So even though I wrote to you, it was not because of the one who did wrong, or because of the one who was wronged, but in order that your diligence for us might be made plain to you in the sight of God.

For if I have made any boast to him about you, I have not been embarrassed; but as I have spoken everything to you in truth, so our boasting to Titus has also turned out to be the truth.

and not just as we had hoped. Instead, they gave themselves especially to the Lord, then to us by God’s will.

I am not saying this as a command. Rather, by means of the diligence of others, I am testing the genuineness of your love.

Now I am giving an opinion on this because it is profitable for you, who a year ago began not only to do something but also to desire it.

For if the eagerness is there, it is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.

It is not that there may be relief for others and hardship for you, but it is a question of equality—

at the present time your surplus is available for their need, so their abundance may also become available for our need, so there may be equality.

As it has been written:

The person who gathered much
did not have too much,
and the person who gathered little
did not have too little.

And not only that, but he was also appointed by the churches to accompany us with this gift that is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.

For we are making provision for what is right, not only before the Lord but also before men.

But I sent the brothers so our boasting about you in the matter would not prove empty, and so you would be prepared just as I said.

For if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we, not to mention you, would be embarrassed in that situation.

Therefore I considered it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance the generous gift you promised, so that it will be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.

Each person should do as he has decided in his heart—not reluctantly or out of necessity, for God loves a cheerful giver.

And God is able to make every grace overflow to you, so that in every way, always having everything you need, you may excel in every good work.

For the ministry of this service is not only supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing in many acts of thanksgiving to God.

I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way.

For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way,

since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments

For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed.

We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you.

For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ.

We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged,

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.

For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends.

For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, which you had not received, or a different gospel, which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!

Though untrained in public speaking, I am certainly not untrained in knowledge. Indeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything.

When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans.
Once I was stoned by my enemies.
Three times I was shipwrecked.
I have spent a night and a day
in the open sea.

Not to mention other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

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

Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions and revelations of the Lord.

I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows—

was caught up into paradise. He heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak.

I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses.

For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. But I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me,

especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to torment me so I would not exalt myself.

The signs of an apostle were performed with great endurance among you—not only signs but also wonders and miracles.

So in what way were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

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.

Now granted, I have not burdened you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit!

For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and I may not be found by you to be what you want; there may be quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

I fear that when I come my God will again humiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented of the moral impurity, sexual immorality, and promiscuity they practiced.

I gave a warning when I was present the second time, and now I give a warning while I am absent to those who sinned before and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not be lenient,

since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me. He is not weak toward you, but powerful among you.

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.

And I hope you will recognize that we do not fail the test.

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.

For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but only for the truth.

This is why I am writing these things while absent, that when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

Paul, an apostle—not from men or by man, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised Him from the dead—

not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are troubling you and want to change the good news about the Messiah.

For am I now trying to win the favor of people, or God? Or am I striving to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a slave of Christ.

Now I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel preached by me is not based on human thought.

For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.

to reveal His Son in me, so that I could preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.

I did not go up to Jerusalem to those who had become apostles before me; instead I went to Arabia and came back to Damascus.

Now I am not lying in what I write to you. God is my witness.

I went up according to a revelation and presented to them the gospel I preach among the Gentiles—but privately to those recognized as leaders—so that I might not be running, or have run the race, in vain.