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.

For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely,

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?

For all God's promises are "Yes" in him. And so through him we can say "Amen," to the glory of God.

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.

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

To God we are the aroma of the Messiah among those who are being saved and among those who are being lost.

To some people we are a deadly fragrance, while to others we are a living fragrance. Who is qualified for this?

At least we are not commercializing God's word like so many others. Instead, we speak with sincerity in the Messiah's name, like people who are sent from God and are accountable to God.

Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we?

You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone.

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.

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

As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord's Spirit.

So if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are dying.

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.

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.

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.

We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord.

So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him.

Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences.

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.

So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you.

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.

Therefore, we are the Messiah's representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah's behalf: "Be reconciled to God!"

Since, then, we are working with God, we plead with you not to accept God's grace in vain.

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

We have spoken frankly to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open.

What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said: "I will live and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people."

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.

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.

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

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.

We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking.

As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.

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.

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.

Because your service in giving proves your love, you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah's gospel demands, since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else.

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.

Of course, we are living in the world, but we do not wage war in a world-like way.

For the weapons of our warfare are not those of the world. Instead, they have the power of God to demolish fortresses. We tear down arguments

For someone is saying, "His letters are impressive and forceful, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible."

Someone like this should take note of the following: What we say by letter when we are absent is what we will do when present!

We would not dare put ourselves in the same class with, or compare ourselves to, those who recommend themselves. Whenever they measure themselves by their own standards or compare themselves among themselves, they show how foolish they are.

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.

For if someone comes along and preaches another Jesus than the one we preached, or should you receive a different spirit from the one you received or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you are all too willing to listen.

But I will go on doing what I'm doing in order to deny an opportunity to those people who want an opportunity to be recognized as our equals in the work they are boasting about.

Such people are false apostles, dishonest workers who are masquerading as apostles of the Messiah.

You are wise, so you will gladly be tolerant of fools.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelis? So am I. Are they among Abraham's descendants? So am I.

Are they the Messiah's servants? I am insane to talk like this, but I am a far better one! I have been involved in far greater efforts, far more imprisonments, countless beatings, and have faced death more than once.

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.

Though he was crucified in weakness, he lives by God's power. We are weak with him, but by God's power we will live for 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?

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