2 Corinthians 1

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus. I am an apostle because that is what God wanted. Also from Timothy our brother in Christ.
To the church of God in Corinth, and to all of God’s people everywhere in Southern Greece:

2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul Gives Thanks to God

3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is the Father who is full of mercy and all comfort.4 He comforts us every time we have trouble, so when others have trouble, we can comfort them with the same comfort God gives us.5 We share in the many sufferings of Christ. In the same way, much comfort comes to us through Christ.6 If we have troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation, and if we have comfort, you also have comfort. This helps you to accept patiently the same sufferings we have.

7 Our hope for you is strong, knowing that you share in our sufferings and also in the comfort we receive.
8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the trouble we suffered in Asia. We had great burdens there that were beyond our own strength. We even gave up hope of living.9 Truly, in our own hearts we believed we would die. But this happened so we would not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises people from the dead.10 God saved us from these great dangers of death, and he will continue to save us. We have put our hope in him, and he will save us again.

11 And you can help us with your prayers. Then many people will give thanks for us—that God blessed us because of their many prayers.

The Change in Paul’s Plans

12 This is what we are proud of, and I can say it with a clear conscience: In everything we have done in the world, and especially with you, we have had an honest 

13-14 We write to you only what you can read and understand. And I hope that as you have understood some things about us, you may come to know everything about us. Then you can be proud of us, as we will be proud of you on the day our Lord Jesus Christ comes again.
15 I was so sure of all this that I made plans to visit you first so you could be blessed twice.16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia and again on my way back. I wanted to get help from you for my trip to Judea.

17 Do you think that I made these plans without really meaning it? Or maybe you think I make plans as the world does, so that I say yes, yes and at the same time no, no.
18 But since you can believe God, you can believe that what we tell you is never both yes and no.19 The Son of God, Jesus Christ, that Silas and Timothy and I preached to you, was not yes and no. In Christ it has always been yes.20 The yes to all of God’s promises is in Christ, and through Christ we say yes to the glory of God.21 Remember, God is the One who makes you and us strong in Christ. God made us his chosen people.

22 He put his mark on us to show that we are his, and he put his Spirit in our hearts to be a guarantee for all he has promised.
23 I tell you this, and I ask God to be my witness that this is true: The reason I did not come back to Corinth was to keep you from being punished or hurt.24 We are not trying to control your faith. You are strong in faith. But we are workers with you for your own joy.

2 Corinthians 1

Salutation

1 From Paul,t an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth,s with all the saints who are in all Achaia.t

2 Grace and peace to yout from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

3 Blessed ist the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,4 who comforts us in all our troublest so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any troublet with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.5 For just as the sufferingst of Christt overflowt toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.t6 But if we are afflicted,t it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer.7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share int our sufferings, so also you will share int our comfort.8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,t regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,t that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living.9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,t so that we would not trust in ourselvest but in God who raises the dead.10 Het delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on himt thats he will deliver us yet again,

11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to Godt on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

12 For our reason for confidencet is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motivesst and sincerity which are from Godt – not by human wisdomt but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the moret toward you.13 For we do not write you anything other than whatt you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completelyt14 just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ourst in the day of the Lord Jesus.s15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,t16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come backt to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you.17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I?t Or do I make my planst according to mere human standardst so that I would be sayingt both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?18 But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us – by me and Silvanuss and Timothy – was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him.20 For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God.21 But it is God who establishest us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,t

22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.ts
23 Now I appeal to God as my witness,t that to sparet you I did not come again to Corinth.ss24 I do not mean that we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because by faith you stand firm.t