¹⁵ It was with this confidence that I planned at first to visit you, so that you might receive twice a token of grace; ¹⁶ that is, [I wanted] to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and [then] to come back to you [on my return] from Macedonia, and have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ So then, was I indecisive or capricious when I was [originally] planning this? Or the things I plan, do I plan ^[a]in a self-serving way like a worldly man, ready to say, “Yes, yes” and “No, no” [at the same time]? ¹⁸ But [as surely as] God is faithful and means what He says, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No” [at the same time]. ¹⁹ For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, by me, Silvanus, and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but has proved to be “Yes” in Him [true and faithful, the divine “Yes” affirming God’s promises]. ²⁰ For as many as are the promises of God, in Christ they are [all answered] “Yes.” So through Him we say our “Amen” to the glory of God. ²¹ Now it is God who establishes and confirms us [in joint fellowship] with you in Christ, and who has anointed us [empowering us with the gifts of the Spirit]; ²² it is He who has also put His seal on us [that is, He has appropriated us and certified us as His] and has given us the [Holy] Spirit in our hearts as a pledge [like a security deposit to guarantee the fulfillment of His promise of eternal life].