Paul's Change of Plans

¹² For our boast is this, ^(A)the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity^[a] and ^(B)godly sincerity, ^(C)not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. ¹³ For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— ¹⁴ just as you did ^(D)partially understand us—that ^(E)on the day of our Lord Jesus ^(F)you will boast of us as ^(G)we will boast of you.

¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, ^(H)I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have ^(I)a second ^(J)experience of grace. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you ^(K)on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans ^(L)according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸ As surely as ^(M)God is faithful, ^(N)our word to you has not been Yes and No. ¹⁹ For ^(O)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, ^(P)Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but ^(Q)in him it is always Yes. ²⁰ For ^(R)all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our ^(S)Amen to God for his glory. ²¹ And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and ^(T)has anointed us, ²² and who has also ^(U)put his seal on us and ^(V)given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.^[b]

²³ But ^(W)I call God to witness against me—it was ^(X)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we ^(Y)lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm ^(Z)in your faith.