2 Corinthians 1
Legacy Standard Bible
God of All Comfort
1 Paul, (A)an apostle of (B)Christ Jesus (C)by the will of God, and (D)Timothy our brother,
To (E)the church of God which is at (F)Corinth with all the [a]saints who are throughout (G)Achaia:
2 (H)Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 (I)Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and (J)God of all comfort, 4 who (K)comforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in [b]any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just (L)as the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 But whether we are afflicted, it is (M)for your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that (N)as you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
8 For (O)we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our (P)affliction which came to us in [c](Q)Asia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live. 9 [d]Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who (R)rescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, [e]He (S)on whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us, 11 you also joining in (T)helping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by (U)many persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
Paul’s Change of Plans
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of (V)our conscience, that in [f]holiness and (W)godly sincerity, (X)not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand (Y)until the end, 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason for boasting as you also are ours, in (Z)the day of our Lord Jesus.
15 And in this confidence I intended at first to (AA)come to you, so that you might receive [g](AB)grace twice; 16 [h]that is, to (AC)pass [i]your way into (AD)Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be (AE)helped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, was I vacillating when I intended to do this? Or what I purpose, do I purpose (AF)according to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as (AG)God is faithful, (AH)our word to you is not yes and no. 19 For (AI)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and (AJ)Silvanus and (AK)Timothy—was not yes and no, but has become yes (AL)in Him. 20 For (AM)as many as are the promises of God, (AN)in Him they are yes. Therefore also through Him is (AO)our Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who (AP)establishes us with you in Christ and (AQ)anointed us is God, 22 who also (AR)sealed us and (AS)gave the [j]pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.
23 But (AT)I call God as witness [k]to my soul, that (AU)to spare you I did not come again to (AV)Corinth. 24 Not that we (AW)lord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are (AX)standing firm.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 1:1 Or holy ones
- 2 Corinthians 1:4 Lit every
- 2 Corinthians 1:8 West coast province of Asia Minor
- 2 Corinthians 1:9 Lit But we ourselves
- 2 Corinthians 1:10 One early ms on whom we have set our hope that He will also
- 2 Corinthians 1:12 Some mss simplicity, cf. 11:3
- 2 Corinthians 1:15 One early ms joy
- 2 Corinthians 1:16 Lit and
- 2 Corinthians 1:16 Lit through you into
- 2 Corinthians 1:22 Or down payment
- 2 Corinthians 1:23 Lit upon
2 Corinthians 1
Common English Bible
Greeting
1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, and Timothy our brother.
To God’s church that is in Corinth, along with all of God’s people throughout Achaia.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ.
God’s comfort in trouble
3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. 4 He’s the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. 5 That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ’s sufferings. 6 So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. 7 Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort.
8 Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be unaware of the troubles that we went through in Asia. We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive. 9 It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty. This was so that we would have confidence in God, who raises the dead, instead of ourselves. 10 God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, 11 since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people.
Paul explains his change of plans
12 We have conducted ourselves with godly sincerity and pure motives in the world, and especially toward you. This is why we are confident, and our conscience confirms this. We didn’t act with human wisdom but we relied on the grace of God. 13 We don’t write anything to you except what you can read and also understand. I hope that you will understand totally 14 since you have already understood us partly. Understand that in the day of our Lord Jesus, we will make you proud as you will also make us proud.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you could have a second opportunity to see me. 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then come to you again on my way back from Macedonia, at which point I was hoping you would help me on my way to Judea.
17 So I wasn’t unreliable when I planned to do this, was I? Or do I make decisions with a substandard human process so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 But as God is faithful, our message to you isn’t both yes and no. 19 God’s Son, Jesus Christ, is the one who was preached among you by us—through me, Silvanus, and Timothy—he wasn’t yes and no. In him it is always yes. 20 All of God’s promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God.
21 God is the one who establishes us with you in Christ and who anointed us. 22 God also sealed us and gave the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts. 23 I call on God as my witness—I didn’t come again to Corinth because I wanted to spare you. 24 It isn’t that we are trying to control your faith, but we are working with you for your happiness, because you stand firm in your faith.
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