⁴ For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I ^(A)wrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you.

⁴ but in everything ^(A)commending ourselves as ^[a](B)servants of God, ^(C)in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, ⁵ in ^(D)beatings, in imprisonments, in ^[b](E)mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in ^(F)hunger, ⁶ in purity, in ^(G)knowledge, in ^(H)patience, in kindness, in the ^(I)Holy Spirit, in ^(J)genuine love, ⁷ in ^(K)the word of truth, and in ^(L)the power of God; by ^(M)the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, ⁸ by glory and ^(N)dishonor, by ^(O)evil report and good report; regarded as ^(P)deceivers and yet ^(Q)true; ⁹ as unknown and yet well known, as ^(R)dying and yet behold, ^(S)we are alive; as ^[c]punished and yet not put to death, ¹⁰ as ^(T)sorrowful yet always ^(U)rejoicing, as ^(V)poor yet making many rich, as ^(W)having nothing and yet possessing ^(X)all things.

⁴ My ^(A)confidence ^[a]in you is great; my ^(B)boasting in your behalf is great. I am filled with ^(C)comfort; I am overflowing with ^(D)joy in all our affliction.

⁵ For even when we came into ^(E)Macedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were ^(F)afflicted on every side: ^(G)conflicts on the outside, fears inside. ⁶ But ^(H)God, who comforts the ^[b]discouraged, ^(I)comforted us by the arrival of ^(J)Titus;

²⁸ Apart from such ^[a]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ^(A)all the churches. ²⁹ Who is ^(B)weak without my being weak? Who is ^[b]led into sin ^[c]without my intense concern?