2 Corinthians 1

1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother, to the Assembly of God that is in Corinth, with all the holy ones who are in all Achaia:

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, and to all the believers in the entire region of Achaia.

2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!

May grace be to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 Blessed [is] God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and God of all comfort,

May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be praised. He is the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort.

4 who is comforting us in all our tribulation, for our being able to comfort those in any tribulation through the comfort with which we are comforted ourselves by God;

God comforts us in all our affliction, so that we can comfort those who are in any affliction. We comfort others with the same comfort that God used to comfort us.

5 because, as the sufferings of the Christ abound to us, so through the Christ our comfort also abounds;

For just as the sufferings of Christ abound for our sake, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.

6 and whether we be in tribulation, [it is] for your comfort and salvation, that is worked in the enduring of the same sufferings that we also suffer; whether we are comforted, [it is] for your comfort and salvation;

But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort. Your comfort is working effectively when you patiently share in the same sufferings that we also suffer.

7 and our hope [is] steadfast for you, knowing that even as you are partakers of the sufferings—so also of the comfort.

Our expectation concerning you is unshaken, for we know that as you share the sufferings, you also share our comfort.

8 For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brothers, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above [our] power, so that we even despaired of life;

For we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the troubles we had in Asia. We were so completely crushed beyond our strength that we despaired even of life.

9 but we ourselves have had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we may not be trusting on ourselves, but on God, who is raising the dead,

Indeed, we had the sentence of death on us. But that was to make us not put our trust in ourselves, but instead in God, who raises the dead.

10 who delivered us out of so great a death, and delivers, in whom we have hoped that even yet He will deliver;

He rescued us from such a deadly peril, and he will rescue us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us.

11 you also working together for us by your supplication, that the gift through many persons to us, through many, may be thankfully acknowledged for us.

He will do this as you also help us by your prayer. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor given to us through the prayers of many.

12 For our glorying is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God, we conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you;

We are proud of this: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world with holiness and godly sincerity, not relying on fleshly wisdom but on the grace of God.

13 for no other things do we write to you, but what you either read or also acknowledge, and I hope that you will also acknowledge to the end,

We write to you nothing that you cannot read and understand. I expect that,

14 according as you also acknowledged us in part, that we are your glory, even as also you [are] ours, in the Day of the Lord Jesus;

as you have understood us in part, we will be your reason for boasting on the day of our Lord Jesus, just as you will be our reason to boast.

15 and in this confidence I was intending to come to you before, that you might have a second favor,

Because I was confident about this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might receive the benefit of two visits.

16 and to pass to Macedonia through you, and to come to you again from Macedonia, and to be sent forward by you to Judea.

I was planning to visit you on my way to Macedonia. Then I wanted to visit you again on my trip from Macedonia, and then for you to send me on my way to Judea.

17 This, therefore, intending, did I then use the lightness; or the things that I counsel, [did] I counsel according to the flesh, that it may be with me Yes, yes, and No, no?

When I was thinking this way, was I hesitating? Do I plan things according to human standards, so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time?

18 And God [is] faithful, that our word to you did not become Yes and No,

But just as God is faithful, we do not say both “Yes” and “No.”

19 for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, having been preached through us among you—through me and Silvanus and Timotheus—did not become Yes and No, but in Him it has become Yes;

For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom Silvanus, Timothy and I proclaimed among you, is not “Yes” and “No.” Instead, he is always “Yes.”

20 for as many as [are] promises of God, in Him [are] the Yes, and in Him the Amen, for glory to God through us;

For all the promises of God are “Yes” in him. So also through him we say “Amen” to the glory of God.

21 and He who is confirming you with us into Christ, and anointed us, [is] God,

Now it is God who confirms us with you in Christ, and he appointed us,

22 who also sealed us, and gave the deposit of the Spirit in our hearts.

he set his seal on us and he gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee of what is to come.

23 And I call on God for a witness on my soul, that sparing you, I did not come to Corinth yet;

Instead, I call God to bear witness for me that the reason I did not come to Corinth was so that I might spare you.

24 not that we are lords over your faith, but we are workers together with your joy, for by faith you stand.

This is not because we are trying to control what your faith should be. Instead, we are working with you for your joy, as you stand in your faith.