Book of Common Prayer

1 I am Paul. I am called by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. My Christian brother Timothy and I send greetings to the church of God in the city of Corinth. We also send greetings to all of God's people in the country of Greece.

² May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ bless you with their loving kindness and peace. Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is a very, very kind Father to us. He is a God who always comforts and helps people.

³ He helps us every time we have trouble. Then we are able to be strong and help other people every time they have trouble. We can do this with the same comfort that God gives us.

⁴ We have plenty of the same troubles that Christ had. But we also have plenty of comfort and help from him.

⁵ When we have trouble, it is for your sake so that you will be helped and saved. When we are comforted, this helps you. Then you will stand strong when you have the same troubles we have.

⁶ Our hope for you is strong. If you have the same trouble we have had, then you will also have the same comfort and help we have. This we know.

⁷ Brothers, we want you to know about the trouble we had in the country of Asia Minor. We were not strong enough to carry such a load of trouble. It was so heavy we thought we would die.

⁸ Yes, we really felt our time had come to die. This was to make us trust, not in ourselves, but in God. He brings people back to life.

⁹ He saved us from the death that was so near, and he still saves us. We believe that God will keep on saving us.

¹⁰ But you must help us also. You must talk to God about us. When many people ask God to help us, then many people will thank God for the way he has blessed us. ourselves. Our hearts tell us that we have lived the right way in the world, and even more so toward you. We have lived a clean and true life as God wants us to. We have not trusted in the wise things of men, but in the blessing of God.

¹¹ We write you nothing but what you have been reading out to the people, and what you all know. I hope that you will really know what is right even to the end.

5 When Jesus saw the many people, he went up on a hill. He sat down and his disciples came to him.

² He began to teach the people.

³ He said, `God makes happy those who know that they need him. The kingdom of heaven is for them.

⁴ `God makes happy those who are sad. They will have comfort.

⁵ `God makes happy those who quietly trust him and do not try to get their own way. The world will belong to them.

⁶ `God makes happy those who are hungry and thirsty for what is right and good. They will be filled.

⁷ `God makes happy those who are kind. He will be kind to them.

⁸ `God makes happy those who have clean hearts. They will see God.

⁹ `God makes happy those who make peace between people. They will be called God's sons.

¹⁰ `God makes happy those who have trouble for doing what is right. The kingdom of heaven is for them.

¹¹ `God makes you happy when people say wrong things about you, when they trouble you, and when they say all kinds of lies about you. God makes you happy when it is for my sake.

¹² Be happy and glad because God will be good to you in heaven. In the same way people troubled the prophets before your time.'