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.

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?

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.

But if anyone has caused grief, he didn't cause me any grief. To some extent I don't want to emphasize this too much it has affected all of you.

This punishment by the majority is severe enough for such a man.

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

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.

Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.

Therefore, since we have this ministry through the mercy shown to us, we do not get discouraged.

In their case, the god of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe to keep them from seeing the light of the glorious gospel of the Messiah, who is the image of God.

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

Now since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with this Scripture: "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe and therefore speak.

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

This light, temporary nature of our suffering is producing for us an everlasting weight of glory, far beyond any comparison,

For in this one we sigh, since we long to put on our heavenly dwelling.

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.

God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit as a guarantee.

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.

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.

All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation,

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.

and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier.

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.

This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you.

They begged us earnestly for the privilege of participating in this ministry to the saints.

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.

Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.

I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing to do something, but had already started to do it.

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.

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.

Therefore, I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to visit you ahead of me, to make arrangements in advance for this gift you promised, and to have it ready as something given generously and not forced.

Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.

In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us,

since this ministry you render is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, it is also overflowing with more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God.

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.

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!

Even though I may be untrained as an orator, I am not so in the field of knowledge. We have made this clear to all of you in every possible way.

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.

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

I will boast about this man, but as for myself I will boast only about my weaknesses.

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

This will be the third time I am coming to you. "Every accusation must be verified by two or three witnesses."

For this reason I am writing this while I am away from you: When I come I do not want to be severe in using the authority the Lord gave me to build you up and not to tear you down.