^3 (A)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^(B)God of all comfort, ⁴ who ^(C)comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in ^[a]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For just ^(D)as the sufferings of Christ are ^[b]ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.

⁸ For ^(A)we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our ^(B)affliction which occurred in ^[a](C)Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. ^9 [b]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 ^(D)rescued us from so great a danger of death, and will rescue us, He ^[c](E)on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, ¹¹ if you also join in ^(F)helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by ^(G)many persons in our behalf for the favor granted to us through the prayers of many.

¹⁶ Therefore we ^(A)do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our ^(B)inner person is ^(C)being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary, ^(D)light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ while we ^(E)look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.

A Thorn in the Flesh

⁷ Because of the extraordinary greatness of the ^(A)revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given to me a ^(B)thorn in the flesh, a ^(C)messenger of Satan to ^[a]torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord ^(D)three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(E)power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ^(F)boast ^[b]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(G)I delight in weaknesses, in ^[c]insults, in ^(H)distresses, in ^(I)persecutions, in ^(J)difficulties, ^(K)in behalf of Christ; for ^(L)when I am weak, then I am strong.