2 Korintiërs 1

1 God het besluit om vir my, Paulus, ’n tapostel van Christus Jesus te maak. Ek en Timoteus, wat ook ’n tgelowige is, skryf nou hierdie brief vir julle, die gemeente van God daar in die stad Korinte. Ons skryf ook vir almal wat aan God behoort, oral in die provinsie Agaje.

2 Ons bid dat God ons Vader en die Here Jesus Christus tgenadig sal wees vir julle en dat Hy vir julle vrede sal gee.

Paulus vertel hoe swaar hy gekry het in die provinsie Asië

7 Ons hoop dat daar goeie dinge met julle sal gebeur, en dit is seker dat dit sal gebeur. Julle kry ook swaar soos ons, daarom weet ons dat God vir julle ook sal bemoedig soos Hy vir ons bemoedig het.
8 Vriende, ons wil hê dat julle moet weet hoe swaar ons gekry het in tAsië. Ons het baie swaar gekry, dit was vir ons te veel, ons het gedink ons sal doodgaan. 9 Ons het gevoel soos mense wanneer die tregter besluit het dat hulle moet sterf. Ons kon onsself nie meer help nie. Ons kon net tvertrou op God omdat Hý die Een is wat mense weer laat lewe nadat hulle gesterf het. 10 God het ons gered uit hierdie groot gevaar, uit die dood. Hy sal ons weer red. Ons hoop en ons is seker dat Hy ons altyd sal red.

11 Julle help ons ook baie wanneer julle vir ons bid. As God ons red, dan is daar baie mense in die gemeente wat vir God dankie sê omdat Hy ons gered het.

Paulus sê hoekom hy nie weer na Korinte gekom het nie

14 soos julle klaar begin het om ons te verstaan. Ja, ons wil hê dat julle trots sal wees op ons, so trots soos ons sal wees op julle, daardie dag wanneer ons Here Jesus weer kom.
15 Ek was seker dat julle verstaan, en daarom het ek besluit om eers na julle toe te kom, sodat julle twee maal bly kan wees wanneer julle my sien.

16 Want ek wou eers na julle toe gaan en dan na die provinsie Masedonië. Ek wou dan weer van Masedonië terugkom na julle toe. Ek wou hê dat julle my moet help om na die provinsie Judea te gaan.
17 Dit is wat ek wou doen. Ek het nie vir julle ’n leuen vertel nie, maar toe het ek nie van Masedonië teruggekom na julle toe nie. Ek het nie gedoen soos die mense van die wêreld doen nie. Hulle doen nie wat hulle sê nie. Hulle sê “ja,” maar dit kan ook “nee” wees. 18 Julle weet dat God doen wat Hy belowe. So doen ons ook wat ons belowe. Wanneer ons “ja” sê, dan is dit “ja,” en wanneer ons “nee” sê, dan is dit “nee.” 19 Julle moet onthou dat ek en tSilvanus en Timoteus die boodskap oor die Seun van God, Jesus Christus, vir julle gebring het. En julle weet dat Jesus nie “ja” én “nee” is nie. Jesus is God se “ja.” 20 Want alles wat God belowe het, het waar geword toe Christus gekom het. Daarom, wanneer ons “amen” sê, dan sê ons dat alles waar is wat ons van Christus glo. En so prys ons vir God. 21 God is die Een wat vir ons sê dat ons en julle saam aan Christus behoort. God het ook gesê dat ons vir Hom moet werk.

22 Hy het gewys dat ons aan Hom behoort toe Hy die Heilige Gees in ons harte gegee het. Die Heilige Gees sê vir ons dat ons altyd aan Hom sal behoort.
23 Ek het toe nie van Masedonië na Korinte teruggekom nie. Hoekom nie? Dit was omdat ek jammer was vir julle. God weet dit is waar, Hy kan my straf as ek nie die waarheid praat nie. 24 Julle moenie dink dat ek vir julle wil sê hoe julle moet glo nie. Nee, ons wil graag saam met julle werk sodat julle bly kan wees, want julle hou nog altyd aan om te glo.

2 Corinthians 1

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Timothy our brother joins me in writing.
We are sending this letter to you, the members of God's church in Corinth. It is also for all of God's people everywhere in Achaia.
2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

God Gives Comfort

3 Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him.4 He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves have received comfort from God.5 We share the sufferings of Christ. We also share his comfort.
6 If we are having trouble, it is so that you will be comforted and renewed. If we are comforted, it is so that you will be comforted. Then you will be able to put up with the same suffering we have gone through.7 Our hope for you remains firm. We know that you suffer just as we do. In the same way, God comforts you just as he comforts us.
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the hard times we suffered in Asia Minor. We were having a lot of trouble. It was far more than we could stand. We even thought we were going to die.9 In fact, in our hearts we felt as if we were under the sentence of death.
But that happened so that we would not depend on ourselves but on God. He raises the dead to life.10 God has saved us from deadly dangers. And he will continue to do it. We have put our hope in him. He will continue to save us.
11 You must help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because of what will happen to us. They will thank God for his kindness to us in answer to the prayers of many.

Paul Changes His Plans

12 Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong gives witness that we have acted in God's holy and honest ways. That is how we live in the world. We live that way most of all when we are dealing with you. Our way of living is not wise in the eyes of the world. But it is in keeping with God's grace.
13 We are writing only what you can read and understand. And here is what I hope.14 Up to this point you have understood some of the things we have said. But now I hope that someday you will be able to take pride in us, just as we will take pride in you on the day the Lord Jesus returns. When you are able to do that, you will understand us completely.
15 I was sure of those things. So I planned to visit you first. Here is how I thought you would be helped twice.16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. I would have come back to you from there. Then you would have sent me on my way to Judea.
17 When I planned all of that, did I do it without much thought? No. I don't make my plans the way the world makes theirs. In the same breath the world says, "Yes! Yes!" and "No! No!"
18 But just as sure as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No."19 Silas, Timothy and I preached to you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our message did not say "Yes" and "No" at the same time. The message of Christ has always been "Yes."
20 God has made a great many promises. They are all "Yes" because of what Christ has done. So through Christ we say "Amen." We want God to receive glory.
21 He makes both us and you stand firm because we belong to Christ. He anointed us.22 He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us.
23 I call God as my witness. I wanted to spare you. So I didn't return to Corinth.24 Your faith is not under our control. You stand firm in your own faith. But we work together with you for your joy.