2 Corinthians 1
1
1 #
Ac 18.1. From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.
To God's church in Corinth and to all of God's people in Achaia.
2I pray that God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ will be kind to you and will bless you with peace!
Paul Gives Thanks
3Praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! The Father is a merciful God, who always gives us comfort. 4He comforts us when we are in trouble, so that we can share this same comfort with others in trouble. 5We share in the terrible sufferings of Christ, but also in the wonderful comfort he gives. 6We suffer in the hope that you will be comforted and saved. And because we are comforted, you will also be comforted, as you patiently endure suffering like ours. 7You never disappoint us. You suffered as much as we did, and we know that you will be comforted as we were.
8 #
1 Co 15.32. My friends, I want you to know what a hard time we had in Asia. Our sufferings were so horrible and so unbearable that death seemed certain. 9In fact, we felt sure we were going to die. But this made us stop trusting in ourselves and start trusting God, who raises the dead to life. 10God saved us from the threat of death,#1.10 the threat of death: Some manuscripts have “many threats of death.” and we are sure that he will do it again and again. 11Please help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks for the blessings we receive in answer to all these prayers.
Paul's Change of Plans
12We can be proud of our clear conscience. We have always lived honestly and sincerely, especially when we were with you. And we were guided by God's gift of undeserved grace instead of by the wisdom of this world. 13I am not writing anything you cannot read and understand. I hope you will understand it completely, 14just as you already partly understand us. Then when our Lord Jesus returns, you can be as proud of us as we are of you.
15I was so sure of your pride in us that I had planned to visit you first of all. In this way you would have the blessing of two visits from me— 16#Ac 19.21. once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea. 17Do you think I couldn't make up my mind about what to do? Or do I seem like someone who says “Yes” or “No” simply to please others? 18God can be trusted, and so can I, when I say our answer to you has always been “Yes” and never “No.” 19#Ac 18.5. This is because Jesus Christ the Son of God is always “Yes” and never “No.” And he is the one Silas,#1.19 Silas: The Greek text has “Silvanus,” which is another form of the name Silas. Timothy, and I told you about.
20Christ says “Yes” to all God's promises. This is why we have Christ to say “Amen”#1.20 Amen: The word “amen” is used here with the meaning of “yes.” for us to the glory of God. 21And so God makes it possible for you and us to stand firmly together with Christ. God is also the one who chose us 22and put his Spirit in our hearts to show that we belong only to him.
23God is my witness that I stayed away from Corinth, just to keep from being hard on you. 24We are not bosses who tell you what to believe. We are working with you to make you glad, because your faith is strong.
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
2 Corinthians 1
1
Greeting
1From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Timothy our brother.
To God’s church in the city of Corinth and to all God’s holy people everywhere in Greece.
2Good will #1:2 Or “grace.” and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!
God Comforts Paul and the Corinthians
3Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort. 4He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God. 5Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him. 6Besides, if we suffer, it brings you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, we can effectively comfort you when you endure the same sufferings that we endure. 7We have confidence in you. We know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
God Rescued Paul When He Was Suffering
8Brothers and sisters, we don’t want you to be ignorant about the suffering we experienced in the province of Asia. It was so extreme that it was beyond our ability to endure. We even wondered if we could go on living. 9In fact, we still feel as if we’re under a death sentence. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn to trust God, who brings the dead back to life. 10He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in the future. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us, 11since you are also joining to help us when you pray for us. Then many people will thank God for the favor he will show us because many people prayed for us.
Paul’s Reason for Being Proud
12We are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have lived in this world. We have lived with a God-given holiness #1:12 Some manuscripts and translations read “God-given openness.” and sincerity, especially toward you. It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by God’s kindness.#1:12 Or “grace.” 13We are only writing you what you already knew before you read this. I hope you will understand this as long as you live, 14even though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Jesus.
Why Paul Changed His Plans
15Confident of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice. 16My plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia. Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have you support my trip to Judea.
17You don’t think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true when it isn’t? 18You can depend on God. Our message to you isn’t false; it’s true. 19God’s Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true. 20Certainly, Christ made God’s many promises come true. For that reason, because of our message, people also honor God by saying, “Amen!”
21God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us. 22In addition, he has put his seal ⌞of ownership⌟ on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
23I appeal to God as a witness on my behalf, that I stayed away from Corinth because I wanted to spare you. 24It isn’t that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly established in the Christian faith.
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