2 Corinthians 1:15-22

Expanded Bible

¹⁵ I was so sure of all this that I made plans to visit you first so you could ·be blessed twice [^Lhave a second grace]. ¹⁶ I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia [^Cthe northern part of present-day Greece; Acts 19:21; 20:1, 2] and again on my way back [^Cthe visit anticipated in 1 Cor. 16:5]. I wanted to ·get help from you for my trip [^Lbe sent by you] to Judea. ¹⁷ [^LSo; Therefore] Do you think that I made these plans ·without really meaning it [lightly; with vacillation]? Or maybe you think I make plans ·as the world does [or using only human standards/reason; ^Laccording to the flesh], so that I say yes, yes and at the same time no, no.

¹⁸ But ·since you can believe God [^LGod is trustworthy/faithful], you can believe that what we tell you is never both yes and no. ¹⁹ [^LFor] The Son of God, Jesus Christ, that Silas and Timothy and I preached to you, was not yes and no. [^LBut; Rather] In ·Christ [^Lhim] it has always been yes. ²⁰ The yes to all of God’s promises is in ·Christ [^Lhim], and through Christ we say ·yes [^Lamen; ^Cfrom a Hebrew term meaning “yes,” or “it is true”] to the glory of God. ²¹ Remember, God is the One who makes you and us ·strong [stand firm; established] in Christ. God ·made us his chosen people [or commissioned us; ^Lanointed us]. ²² He put his ·mark on us to show that we are his [^Lseal on us; ^Cof ownership], and he put his Spirit in our hearts ·to be a guarantee for all he has promised [^Las a pledge/deposit/downpayment].