Paul, ^aan apostle of ^bChrist Jesus ^cby the will of God, and ^dTimothy our brother,

To ^ethe church of God which is at ^fCorinth with all the ¹saints who are throughout ^gAchaia:

2 ^aGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 ^aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^bGod of all comfort, 4 who ^acomforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in ¹any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just ^aas the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6 But whether we are afflicted, it is ^afor your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. 7 And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that ^aas you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.

8 For ^awe do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our ^baffliction which came to us in ^1cAsia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live. 9 ¹Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who ^arescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, ¹He ^bon whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us, 11 you also joining in ^ahelping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by ^bmany persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many.

12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of ^aour conscience, that in ¹holiness and ^bgodly sincerity, ^cnot in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand ^auntil the end, 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason for boasting as you also are ours, in ^athe day of our Lord Jesus.

15 And in this confidence I intended at first to ^acome to you, so that you might receive ^1bgrace twice; 16 ¹that is, to ^apass ²your way into ^bMacedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be ^chelped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, was I vacillating when I intended to do this? Or what I purpose, do I purpose ^aaccording to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as ^aGod is faithful, ^bour word to you is not yes and no. 19 For ^athe Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and ^bSilvanus and ^cTimothy—was not yes and no, but has become yes ^din Him. 20 For ^aas many as are the promises of God, ^bin Him they are yes. Therefore also through Him is ^cour Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who ^aestablishes us with you in Christ and ^banointed us is God, 22 who also ^asealed us and ^bgave the ¹pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.

23 But ^aI call God as witness ¹to my soul, that ^bto spare you I did not come again to ^cCorinth. 24 Not that we ^alord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are ^bstanding firm.