Study Desk

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will,^(a) and Timothy^(b) our^[a] brother: To God's church at Corinth,^(c) with all the saints who are throughout Achaia.^(d)

Grace to you and peace^(e) from God our Father^(f) and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise^(g) the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies^(h) and the God of all comfort.⁽ⁱ⁾

He comforts us in all our affliction,^[b] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

For as the sufferings^(j) of Christ^(k) overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows.^(l)

If we are afflicted,^(m) it is for your comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in your endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer.⁽ⁿ⁾

And our hope^(o) for you is firm, because we know that as you share^(p) in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.

For we don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia:^(q) we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength^(r)—so that we even despaired^(s) of life.

Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God^(t) who raises^(u) the dead.

He has delivered^(v) us from such a terrible death,^(w) and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again

while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our^[c] behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

For this is our confidence: The testimony^(x) of our conscience^(y) is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly^[d] wisdom^(z) but by God's grace.^(aa)

Now we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely—

as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride,^(ab) as you are ours,^(ac) in the day of our^[e] Lord Jesus.^(ad)

I planned with this confidence to come to you first,^(ae) so you could have a double benefit,^[f]

and to go on to Macedonia^(af) with your help, then come to you again from Macedonia and be given a start by you^(ag) on my journey^(ah) to Judea.^(ai)

So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human^[g](aj) way so that I say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" simultaneously?

As God is faithful,^(ak) our message to you is not "Yes and no."

For the Son of God,^(al) Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus^[h](am) and Timothy—did not become "Yes and no"; on the contrary, a final "Yes" has come in Him.^(an)

For every one of God's promises^(ao) is "Yes" in Him. Therefore, the "Amen"^(ap) is also spoken through Him by us for God's glory.^(aq)

Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed^(ar) us.

He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment^(as) in our hearts.^(at)

I call on God as a witness,^(au) on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth.^(av)

I do not mean that we have control of^[i] your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand^(aw) by faith.

¹In fact, I made up my mind about this:^[a] I would not come to you on another painful visit.^[b]

For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?^[c]

I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn't have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident^(a) about all of you that my joy will also be yours.

For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate^(b)—to all of you.

The punishment inflicted by the majority is sufficient for that person.

As a result, you should instead forgive^(c) and comfort him. Otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief.

Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

I wrote for this purpose: to test your character^(d) to see if you are obedient^(e) in everything.

If you forgive anyone, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for you in the presence of Christ.

I have done this so that we may not be taken advantage^(f) of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

When I came to Troas^(g) to preach the gospel of Christ, the Lord opened a door^(h) for me.

I had no rest⁽ⁱ⁾ in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus,^(j) but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.^(k)

But thanks be to God,^(l) who always puts us on display^[d] in Christ^[e] and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.^(m)

For to God we are the fragrance⁽ⁿ⁾ of Christ among those who are being saved^(o) and among those who are perishing.^(p)

To some we are an aroma of death^(q) leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life^(r) leading to life. And who is competent for this?

For we are not like the many^[f] who market God's message^(s) for profit. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you?

You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone.^(a)

It is clear that you are Christ's letter,^(b) produced^[a] by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God^(c)—not on stone tablets^(d) but on tablets that are hearts of flesh.^(e)

We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ.

It is not that we are competent in^[b] ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God.^(f)

He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant,^(g) not of the letter,^(h) but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory,⁽ⁱ⁾ so that the Israelites were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face—a fading glory—

how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious?

For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory.

In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it.

For if what was fading away^(j) was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

Therefore, having such a hope,^(k) we use great boldness.

We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face^(l) so that the Israelites could not stare at the the end of what was fading away,

but their minds were closed.^[c](m) For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant,⁽ⁿ⁾ the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.^(o)

Even to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts,

but whenever a person turns^(p) to the Lord, the veil is removed.^(q)

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at^[d](r) the glory of the Lord^(s) and are being transformed^(t) into the same image^(u) from glory to glory;^[e] this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.^[f]