Introduction

1 Paul, ^(A)an apostle of ^(B)Christ Jesus ^(C)by the will of God, and our brother ^(D)Timothy,

To ^(E)the church of God which is at ^(F)Corinth with all the ^[a]saints who are throughout ^(G)Achaia:

^2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

^3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^(J)God of all comfort, ⁴ who ^(K)comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in ^[b]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just ^(L)as the sufferings of Christ are ^[c]ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. ⁶ But if we are afflicted, it is ^(M)for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; ⁷ and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that ^(N)as you are partners in our sufferings, so also you are in our comfort.

⁸ For ^(O)we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our ^(P)affliction which occurred in ^[d](Q)Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. ^9 [e]Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead, ¹⁰ who ^(R)rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He ^[f](S)on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, ¹¹ if you also join in ^(T)helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by ^(U)many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.

Paul’s Integrity

¹² For our ^[g]proud confidence is this: the testimony of ^(V)our conscience, that in holiness and ^(W)godly sincerity, ^(X)not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. ¹³ For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand ^(Y)until the end; ¹⁴ just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, on ^(Z)the day of our Lord Jesus.

¹⁵ In this confidence I intended at first to ^(AA)come to you, so that you might ^[h]twice receive a ^[i](AB)blessing; ^16 [j]that is, to ^(AC)pass ^[k]your way into ^(AD)Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be ^(AE)helped on my journey to Judea. ¹⁷ Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I decide, do I decide ^(AF)according to the flesh, so that with me there will be ^[l]yes, yes and no, no at the same time? ¹⁸ But as ^(AG)God is faithful, ^(AH)our word to you is not yes and no. ¹⁹ For ^(AI)the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us—by me and ^(AJ)Silvanus and ^(AK)Timothy—was not yes and no, but has been yes ^(AL)in Him. ²⁰ For ^(AM)as many as the promises of God are, ^(AN)in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is ^(AO)our Amen to the glory of God through us. ²¹ Now He who ^(AP)establishes us with you in Christ and ^(AQ)anointed us is God, ²² who also ^(AR)sealed us and ^(AS)gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a ^[m]pledge.

²³ But ^(AT)I call God as witness to my soul, that it was ^(AU)to spare you that I did not come again to ^(AV)Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we ^(AW)domineer over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are ^(AX)standing firm.

Reaffirm Your Love

2 But I decided this ^[n]for my own sake, that I ^(AY)would not come to you in sorrow again. ² For if I ^(AZ)cause you sorrow, who then will be the one making me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me? ³ This is the very thing I ^(BA)wrote you, so that ^(BB)when I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having ^(BC)confidence in you all that my joy was the joy of you all. ⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I ^(BD)wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

⁵ But ^(BE)if anyone has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not for me, but in some degree—^[o]not to say too much—for all of you. ⁶ Sufficient for such a person is ^(BF)this punishment which was imposed by the majority, ⁷ so that on the other hand, you should rather ^(BG)forgive and comfort him, otherwise such a person might be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ For to this end ^(BH)I also wrote, so that I might ^[p](BI)put you to the test, whether you are ^(BJ)obedient in all things. ¹⁰ But one whom you forgive anything, I also forgive; for indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, I did so for your sakes ^(BK)in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that no advantage would be taken of us by ^(BL)Satan, for ^(BM)we are not ignorant of his schemes.

⁴ My ^(A)confidence ^[a]in you is great; my ^(B)boasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with ^(C)comfort; I am overflowing with ^(D)joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we came into ^(E)Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were ^(F)afflicted on every side: ^(G)conflicts on the outside, fears inside. ⁶ But ^(H)God, who comforts the ^[b]discouraged, ^(I)comforted us by the arrival of ^(J)Titus; ⁷ and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted among you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced even more. ⁸ For though I ^(K)caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— ⁹ I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything ^[c]through us. ¹⁰ For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a ^(L)repentance ^[d]without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. ¹¹ For behold what earnestness this very thing, this ^[e]godly sorrow, has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what ^(M)longing, what zeal, what ^(N)punishment of wrong! In everything you ^(O)demonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. ¹² So although ^(P)I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of ^(Q)the offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness in our behalf might be made known to you in the sight of God. ¹³ Because of this, we have been ^(R)comforted.

And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of ^(S)Titus, because his ^(T)spirit has been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴ For if I have ^(U)boasted to him about you regarding anything, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before ^(V)Titus proved to be the truth. ¹⁵ His ^[f]affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the ^(W)obedience of you all, how you received him with ^(X)fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything ^(Y)I have confidence in you.

Great Generosity

8 Now, brothers and sisters, we make known to you the grace of God which has been ^(Z)given in the churches of ^(AA)Macedonia, ² that in a ^[g]great ordeal of affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the ^(AB)wealth of their liberality. ³ For I testify that ^(AC)according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave voluntarily, ⁴ begging us with much urging for the ^(AD)favor ^[h]of participation in the ^[i](AE)support of the ^[j]saints, ⁵ and this, not as we had ^[k]expected, but they first ^(AF)gave themselves to the Lord and to us by ^(AG)the will of God. ⁶ So we ^(AH)urged ^(AI)Titus that as he had previously ^(AJ)made a beginning, so he would also complete in you ^(AK)this gracious work as well.

⁷ But just as you ^(AL)excel ^(AM)in everything, in faith, speaking, knowledge, and in all earnestness and in the ^[l]love we inspired in you, see that you also ^(AN)excel in this gracious work. ⁸ I ^(AO)am not saying this as a command, but as proving, through the earnestness of others, the sincerity of your love as well. ⁹ For you know ^(AP)the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ^(AQ)though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich. ¹⁰ I ^(AR)give my opinion in this matter, for this is to your advantage, who were the first to begin ^(AS)a year ago not only to do this, but also to desire to do it. ¹¹ But now finish ^[m]doing it also, so that just as there was the ^(AT)willingness to desire it, so there may be also the completion of it by your ability. ¹² For if the willingness is present, it is acceptable ^(AU)according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have. ¹³ For this is not for the relief of others and for your hardship, but by way of equality— ¹⁴ at this present time your abundance will serve as assistance for ^(AV)their need, so that their abundance also may ^[n]serve as assistance for ^(AW)your need, so that there may be equality; ¹⁵ as it is written: “^(AX)The one who had gathered much did not have too much, and the one who had gathered little did not have too little.”

¹⁶ But ^(AY)thanks be to God who ^(AZ)puts the same earnestness in your behalf in the heart of ^(BA)Titus. ¹⁷ For he not only accepted our ^(BB)appeal, but being himself very earnest, he has gone to you of his own accord. ¹⁸ We have sent along with him ^(BC)the brother whose fame in the things of the ^(BD)gospel has spread through ^(BE)all the churches; ^19 (BF)and not only that, but he has also been ^(BG)appointed by the churches to travel with us in ^(BH)this gracious work, which is being administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself, and to show our ^(BI)readiness, ^20 [o]taking precaution so that no one will discredit us in our administration of this generous gift; ²¹ for we ^(BJ)have regard for what is honorable, not only in ^(BK)the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of other people. ²² We have sent with them our brother, whom we have often tested and found diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for ^(BL)Titus, he is my ^(BM)partner and fellow worker ^[p]among you; as for our ^(BN)brothers, they are ^[q](BO)messengers of the churches, ^(BP)a glory to Christ. ²⁴ Therefore, ^[r]openly before the churches, ^[s]show them the proof of your love and of our ^(BQ)reason for boasting about you.

God Gives Most

9 For ^(BR)it is superfluous for me to write to you about this ^(BS)ministry to the ^[t]saints; ² for I know your willingness, of which I ^(BT)boast about you to the ^(BU)Macedonians, namely, that ^(BV)Achaia has been prepared since ^(BW)last year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But I have sent the brothers, in order that our ^(BX)boasting about you may not prove empty in this case, so that, ^(BY)as I was saying, you will be prepared; ⁴ otherwise, if any ^(BZ)Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame by this confidence. ⁵ So I considered it necessary to urge the ^(CA)brothers that they go on ahead to you and arrange in advance your previously promised ^[u](CB)generous gift, that the same would be ready as a ^[v](CC)generous gift, and not as one grudgingly given due to greediness.

⁶ Now I say this: ^(CD)the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows ^[w]generously will also reap ^[x]generously. ⁷ Each one must do just as he has decided in his heart, not ^(CE)reluctantly or under compulsion, for ^(CF)God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And ^(CG)God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that, always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; ⁹ as it is written:

¹⁰ Now He who supplies ^(CI)seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and ^(CJ)increase the harvest of your righteousness; ¹¹ you will be ^(CK)enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing ^(CL)thanksgiving to God. ¹² For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying ^(CM)the needs of the ^[z]saints, but is also overflowing ^(CN)through many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the proof given by this ^(CO)ministry, they will ^(CP)glorify God for your obedience to your ^(CQ)confession of the ^(CR)gospel of Christ and for the liberality of your ^[aa]contribution to them and to all, ¹⁴ while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you. ^15 (CS)Thanks be to God for His indescribable ^(CT)gift!