Book of Common Prayer

For We Despaired Even of Living, But God Delivered Us, And Will Deliver Us

⁸ For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, with-reference-to our affliction having taken place in Asia^[a], that we were burdened^[b] extremely beyond our power, so that we despaired^[c] even of living. ⁹ But we had^[d] the sentence of death in ourselves in order that we should not be trusting in ourselves, but in God, the One raising the dead, ¹⁰ Who delivered us from so great a death^[e], and will deliver us; in Whom we have put our hope that He will indeed^[f] still deliver us— ¹¹ you also joining-in-helping in your prayer for us— in-order-that thanks might be given on our behalf by many faces^[g] as to the gift granted to us through many prayers.

Our Boast As We Endure Our Suffering Is Our Blameless And Forthright Behavior Toward You

¹² For our boasting is this: the testimony of ^[h] our conscience that we conducted-ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, in simplicity^[i] and purity^[j] from God^[k]; and not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God. ¹³ For we are writing no other things to you other than the things which you read or indeed understand. And I hope that you will understand until the end^[l]— ¹⁴ just as you also did understand us in part— that we are your boast, even as you also are ours, on the day of our Lord Jesus.

And In This Confidence I Was Intending To Come To You First, Then Go To Macedonia

¹⁵ And in this confidence, I was intending first^[m] to come to you in order that you might have a second^[n] benefit^[o], ¹⁶ and^[p] to go through you to Macedonia, and from Macedonia to come again to you, and to be sent-forward by you to Judea.

I Do Not Make My Plans Lightly, But I Changed My Plans In Order To Spare You

¹⁷ Therefore, while intending this, I did not then act with lightness, did I ? Or do I plan^[q] the things which I plan according-to the flesh— so that^[r] there is with me the yes, yes, and the no, no? ¹⁸ But as God is faithful^[s], our message to you is not yes and no. ¹⁹ For God’s Son Jesus Christ, the One having been proclaimed among you by us— by me and Silvanus and Timothy— did not become^[t] yes and no, but has become yes in Him. ²⁰ For as many as there are promises of God, in Him is the yes^[u]! Therefore also through Him is [spoken] the amen^[v] to God for His glory, through^[w] us. ²¹ And the One establishing us with you for^[x] Christ and having anointed us is God— ²² the One also having sealed us and given the pledge^[y] of the Spirit in our hearts.

Priests Ask, By What Authority Do You Do This? From Where Was John’s Authority?

²⁷ And they come again into Jerusalem. And while He is walking around in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders come to Him. ²⁸ And they were saying to Him, “By what-kind-of ^[a] authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority that you may be doing these things?” ²⁹ And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing, and you answer Me, and I will tell you by what kind of authority I am doing these things: ³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from humans? Answer Me!” ³¹ And they were discussing it with themselves, saying, “If we say ‘From heaven’, He will say ‘Then for what reason did you not believe him?’ ³² But should we say ‘From humans’?” They were fearing the crowd, for they all were holding as to John that he really was a prophet. ³³ And having responded to Jesus, they say “We do not know”. And Jesus says to them, “Nor am I telling you by what kind of authority I am doing these things”.