1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, with all the holy people throughout Achaia.
2 May grace and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be yours!
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our suffering, so that we may be able to comfort others in all their suffering, since we ourselves are being comforted by God.
5 For just as Christ's sufferings overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ.
6 If we suffer, it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are suffering.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, because we know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about the suffering we experienced in Asia. We were so crushed beyond our ability to endure that we even despaired of living.
9 In fact, we felt within ourselves that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not rely on ourselves but on the God who raises the dead.
10 He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will continue to rescue us. Yes, the one on whom we have set our hope will rescue us again,
11 as you also help us by your prayers on our behalf. Then prayers of thanksgiving will be uttered by many people on our behalf because of the favor shown us through the prayers of many.
12 For this is what we boast about: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with pure motives and godly sincerity, without earthly wisdom but with God's grace—and especially towards you.
13 For what we are writing you is nothing more than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely,
14 just as you have already understood us partially, so that on the day of our Lord Jesus we can be your reason to boast, even as you are ours.
15 It was because of this confidence that I planned to come to you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
16 I planned to leave you in order to go to Macedonia, and then come back to you from Macedonia, and let you send me on to Judea.
17 When I planned this, I did not do it lightly, did I? Are my plans so fickle that I can say "Yes" and "No" at the same time?
18 As certainly as God is faithful, our word to you is not "Yes" and "No."
19 For God's Son, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me, Silvanus, and Timothy—was not "Yes" and "No." But with him it is always "Yes."
20 For all God's promises are "Yes" in him. And so through him we can say "Amen," to the glory of God.
21 Now the one who makes us—and you as well—secure in union with Christ and has anointed us is God,
22 who has placed his seal on us and has given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment.
23 I call upon God as a witness on my behalf that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
24 It is not that we are trying to lord it over your faith. On the contrary, we are workers with you to promote your joy, because you have been standing firm in the faith.