Passage Resources Hebrew/Greek Your Content
Previous Next
Add parallel Print Page Options Listen to 2 Corinthians 1
Close CSB

2 Corinthians 1
Christian Standard Bible

Greeting

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will,(A) and Timothy(B) our[a] brother:

To the church of God at Corinth,(C) with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.(D)

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

The God of Comfort

3 Blessed be(G) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies(H) and the God of all comfort.(I) 4 He comforts us in all our affliction,[b] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5 For just as the sufferings(J) of Christ(K) overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.(L) 6 If we are afflicted,(M) it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.(N) 7 And our hope(O) for you is firm, because we know that as you share(P) in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort.

8 We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia.(Q) We were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength(R)—so that we even despaired(S) of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God(T) who raises(U) the dead. 10 He has delivered(V) us from such a terrible death,(W) and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11 while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our[c] behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

A Clear Conscience

12 Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony(X) of our conscience(Y) is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom(Z) but by God’s grace.(AA) 13 For we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely— 14 just as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride,(AB) just as you also are ours(AC) in the day of our[d] Lord Jesus.(AD)

A Visit Postponed

15 Because of this confidence, I planned to come to you first,(AE) so that you could have a second benefit,[e] 16 and to visit you on my way to Macedonia,(AF) and then come to you again from Macedonia and be helped by you(AG) on my journey(AH) to Judea.(AI) 17 Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human[f](AJ) way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As God is faithful,(AK) our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19 For the Son of God,(AL) Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you—Silvanus,[g](AM) Timothy, and I—did not become “Yes and no.” On the contrary, in him it is always “Yes.”(AN) 20 For every one of God’s promises(AO) is “Yes” in him. Therefore, through him we also say “Amen”(AP) to the glory of God.(AQ) 21 Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed(AR) us. 22 He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts(AS) as a down payment.(AT)

23 I call on God as a witness,(AU) on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.(AV) 24 I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in your(AW) faith.

Footnotes

  1. 1:1 Lit the
  2. 1:4 Or trouble, or tribulation, or trials, or oppression
  3. 1:11 Other mss read your
  4. 1:14 Other mss omit our
  5. 1:15 Other mss read a second joy
  6. 1:17 Or a worldly, or a fleshly, or a selfish
  7. 1:19 Or Silas; Ac 15:22–32; 16:19–40; 17:1–16
Close ISV

2 Corinthians 1
International Standard Version

Paul Greets the Church in Corinth

1 From:[a] Paul, an apostle of the Messiah[b] Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother.

To: God’s church in Corinth, and to all the holy people[c] throughout Achaia.

2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus, the Messiah,[d] be yours!

The God of All Comfort

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah![e] He is our merciful Father and the God of all comfort, 4 who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, as we ourselves are being comforted by God. 5 For as the Messiah’s[f] sufferings overflow into us, so also our comfort overflows through the Messiah.[g] 6 If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.

How God Rescued Paul

8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living. 9 In fact, we felt that we had received a death sentence so we would not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10 He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, he is the one on whom we have set our hope, and he will rescue us again, 11 as you also help us by your prayers for us. Then many people will thank God[h] on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.

Paul’s Reason for Boasting

12 For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God’s grace—especially toward you. 13 For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely, 14 just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the Day of our[i] Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.

Why Paul’s Visit Was Postponed

15 Because I was confident, I planned to come to you first so you might receive a double blessing. 16 I planned to leave you in order to go[j] to Macedonia, and then come back to you from Macedonia, and let you send me on to Judea.

17 When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle[k] that I can say “Yes” and “No”[l] at the same time? 18 As certainly as God is faithful, we haven’t talked to you with mixed messages like that.[m] 19 For God’s Son, Jesus the Messiah,[n] who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No.” But with him it is always “Yes.” 20 For all God’s promises are “Yes” in him. And so through him we can say “Amen,”[o] to the glory of God. 21 Now the one who makes us—and you as well—secure in union with the Messiah[p] and has anointed us is God, 22 who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.

23 I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24 It is not that we are trying to rule over your faith, but rather to work with you for your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 1:1 The Gk. lacks From
  2. 2 Corinthians 1:1 Or Christ
  3. 2 Corinthians 1:1 Or the saints
  4. 2 Corinthians 1:2 Or Christ
  5. 2 Corinthians 1:3 Or Christ
  6. 2 Corinthians 1:5 Or Christ’s
  7. 2 Corinthians 1:5 Or Christ
  8. 2 Corinthians 1:11 The Gk. lacks God
  9. 2 Corinthians 1:14 Other mss. read the
  10. 2 Corinthians 1:16 Lit. To go through you
  11. 2 Corinthians 1:17 Lit. according to the flesh
  12. 2 Corinthians 1:17 Lit. “Yes, yes” and “No, no”
  13. 2 Corinthians 1:18 Lit. faithful, our word to you is not “Yes” and “No”
  14. 2 Corinthians 1:19 Or Christ
  15. 2 Corinthians 1:20 Lit. through him is the “Amen”
  16. 2 Corinthians 1:21 Or Christ
Next
1 Corinthians 16
2 Corinthians 2
Next
dropdown
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

International Standard Version (ISV)

Copyright © 1995-2014 by ISV Foundation. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. Used by permission of Davidson Press, LLC.

ISV Bible