2 Corinthians

Greeting

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy, our brother, to the church of God in Corinth and to all the saints throughout Achaia.

May you receive grace and peace from God our Father and from Christ Jesus, the Lord.

Comfort in Tribulation

Blessed be God, the Father of Christ Jesus, our Lord, the all-merciful Father and the God of all comfort!

He encourages us during all our trials so that we can also comfort those facing any trial with the same reassurance we receive from God.

Whenever the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so through Christ a great comfort also overflows.

So, if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we receive comfort, it is also for you. You may experience the same comfort when you endure the same sufferings we endure.

Our hope for you is very firm; just as you share in our sufferings, so shall you also share in our comfort.

Brothers and sisters, we want to share some of the trials we faced in the province of Asia. We were overwhelmed; it was too much; more than we could handle, and we had already lost all hope of survival.

We felt as if we were destined for death, but this happened so that we would no longer rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.

He rescued us from such a deadly danger and will continue to do so. We trust that he will keep protecting us,

but you must help us with your prayers. When many intercede on our behalf, many will give thanks to God for it.

Change of Plans

We take pride in this: our conscience assures us that we have lived in this world with the honesty and sincerity that come from God. We have been guided, not by human motives, but by God’s grace, especially regarding you.

There were no hidden motives in my letter, only what you can read and understand.

I trust that what you now only partly understand, you will come to realize and be proud of us fully, just as we will also be proud of you on the Day of the Lord Jesus.

With this assurance, I wanted to visit you first, which would have been a double blessing for you,

because I planned to leave you to go through Macedonia, then return to you on my way back from Macedonia, and you would have sent me on my way to Judea.

Have I planned this without thinking at all? Or do I change my decisions on a whim, so that I am caught between No and Yes?

God knows that our dealings with you are not just Yes and No,

just as the Son of God, Christ Jesus, whom we—Silvanus, Timothy, and I—preach to you, was not Yes and No; with him, it was simply Yes.

In him, all of God’s promises have proven to be a Yes, and we also say in his name: Amen! Giving thanks to God.

God himself has anointed us and strengthens us together with you to serve Christ;

he has marked us with his own seal in the first outpouring of the Spirit upon our hearts.

Reasons for the Change of Plans

God knows, and I swear to you on my own life, that if I did not return to Corinth, it was because I wanted to spare you.

I do not wish to lord it over your faith, but to contribute to your happiness; for regarding faith, you already stand firm.