Praise to the God of All Comfort

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,^(A) the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us^(B) in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ,^(C) so also our comfort abounds through Christ. ⁶ If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation;^(D) if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. ⁷ And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings,^(E) so also you share in our comfort.

¹⁴ But thanks be to God,^(A) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma^(B) of the knowledge^(C) of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma^(D) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.^{(E) 16} To the one we are an aroma that brings death;^(F) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?^(G)

¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs^(A) of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.^{(B) 13} Because of the service^(C) by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God^(D) for the obedience that accompanies your confession^(E) of the gospel of Christ,^(F) and for your generosity^(G) in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴ And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God^(H) for his indescribable gift!^(I)

⁷ or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^(A) Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^(B) a messenger of Satan,^(C) to torment me. ⁸ Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^{(D) 9} But he said to me, “My grace^(E) is sufficient for you, for my power^(F) is made perfect in weakness.^(G)”^(H) Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.

⁷ Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. ⁸ For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ We are glad whenever we are weak^(A) but you are strong;^(B) and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.^(C)