2 Corinthians 1

Salutation

1:1 From Paul,¹ an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth,² with all the saints who are in all Achaia.³ 1:2 Grace and peace to you⁴ from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

Thanksgiving for God’s Comfort

1:3 Blessed is⁵ the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, 1:4 who comforts us in all our troubles⁶ so that we may be able to comfort those experiencing any trouble⁷ with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 1:5 For just as the sufferings⁸ of Christ⁹ overflow¹⁰ toward us, so also our comfort through Christ overflows to you.¹¹ 1:6 But if we are afflicted,¹² it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort that you experience in your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. 1:7 And our hope for you is steadfast because we know that as you share in¹³ our sufferings, so also you will share in¹⁴ our comfort. 1:8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,¹⁵ regarding the affliction that happened to us in the province of Asia,¹⁶ that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of living. 1:9 Indeed we felt as if the sentence of death had been passed against us,¹⁷ so that we would not trust in ourselves¹⁸ but in God who raises the dead. 1:10 He¹⁹ delivered us from so great a risk of death, and he will deliver us. We have set our hope on him²⁰ that²¹ he will deliver us yet again, 1:11 as you also join in helping us by prayer, so that many people may give thanks to God²² on our behalf for the gracious gift given to us through the help of many.

Paul Defends His Changed Plans

1:12 For our reason for confidence²³ is this: the testimony of our conscience, that with pure motives²⁴ and sincerity which are from God²⁵ – not by human wisdom²⁶ but by the grace of God – we conducted ourselves in the world, and all the more²⁷ toward you. 1:13 For we do not write you anything other than what²⁸ you can read and also understand. But I hope that you will understand completely²⁹ 1:14 just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours³⁰ in the day of the Lord Jesus.³¹ 1:15 And with this confidence I intended to come to you first so that you would get a second opportunity to see us,³² 1:16 and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back³³ to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you. 1:17 Therefore when I was planning to do this, I did not do so without thinking about what I was doing, did I?³⁴ Or do I make my plans³⁵ according to mere human standards³⁶ so that I would be saying³⁷ both “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 1:18 But as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 1:19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, the one who was proclaimed among you by us – by me and Silvanus³⁸ and Timothy – was not “Yes” and “No,” but it has always been “Yes” in him. 1:20 For every one of God’s promises are “Yes” in him; therefore also through him the “Amen” is spoken, to the glory we give to God. 1:21 But it is God who establishes³⁹ us together with you in Christ and who anointed us,⁴⁰ 1:22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.⁴¹

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