2 Corinthians 1
1
Greeting
1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will, # 1Co 1:1; Eph 1:1; Col 1:1; 2Tm 1:1 and Timothy # 1Th 3:2; 1Tm 1:2 our # Lit the brother:
To God’s church at Corinth, # 1Co 1:2 with all the saints who are throughout Achaia. # Ac 18:12; Php 1:1
2Grace to you and peace # Lk 12:51; Rm 1:7; 2Tm 1:2; 3Jn 14 from God our Father # Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42; Eph 5:20 and the Lord Jesus Christ.
The God of Comfort
3Praise # Mk 14:61 the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies # Heb 10:28 and the God of all comfort. # Lk 2:25 4He comforts us in all our affliction, # Or trouble, or tribulation, or trials, or oppression ; the Gk word has a lit meaning of being under pressure. so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5For as the sufferings # Gl 5:24; Php 3:10 of Christ # Rm 8:17; 2Co 4:10; Gl 6:17; Php 3:10; Col 1:24 overflow to us, so through Christ our comfort also overflows. # Php 1:29 6If we are afflicted, # Heb 11:37 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. # Php 1:29 7And our hope # 1Th 1:3 for you is firm, because we know that as you share # Phm 17 in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.
8For we don’t want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in Asia: # Ac 6:9 we were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strength # Ac 8:10; 1Co 15:24; Eph 1:21; 1Pt 3:22 — so that we even despaired # 2Co 4:8 of life. 9Indeed, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God # Ps 25:2; 26:1; Jr 17:5-7; Lk 18:9 who raises # Mk 9:27; Jn 2:19 the dead. 10He has delivered # Mt 27:43 us from such a terrible death, # Mt 10:21; Jn 8:51; Php 3:10 and He will deliver us. We have put our hope in Him that He will deliver us again 11while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our # Other mss read your behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.
A Clear Conscience
12For this is our confidence: The testimony # 1Tm 2:6 of our conscience # Heb 13:18 is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly # The word fleshly (characterized by flesh) indicates that the wisdom is natural rather than spiritual. wisdom # Pr 3:19; 1Co 1:21 but by God’s grace. # Ac 23:1; 2Co 4:2; 5:12; 1Th 2:10 13Now we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely — 14as you have partially understood us — that we are your reason for pride, # Rm 2:17; Gl 6:4 as you are ours, # 2Co 9:3; Php 2:16; 4:1; 1Th 2:19-20 in the day of our # Other mss omit our Lord Jesus. # Php 1:6
A Visit Postponed
15I planned with this confidence to come to you first, # Ac 18:1-18; 1Co 4:19 so you could have a double benefit, # Other mss read a second joy 16and to go on to Macedonia # Ac 16:9 with your help, then come to you again from Macedonia and be given a start by you # Ac 20:38 on my journey # Ac 19:21; 1Co 16:5-7 to Judea. # Lk 1:5 17So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human # Or a worldly, or a fleshly, or a selfish # Php 3:3; Col 3:22 way so that I say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” simultaneously? 18As God is faithful, # Nm 23:19 our message to you is not “Yes and no.” 19For the Son of God, # Jn 5:19; Heb 1:2 Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us — by me and Silvanus # Or Silas ; Ac 15:22-32; 16:19-40; 17:1-16 # 1Th 1:1 and Timothy — did not become “Yes and no”; on the contrary, a final “Yes” has come in Him. # Heb 13:8 20For every one of God’s promises # Gn 12:7 is “Yes” in Him. Therefore, the “Amen” # Ps 72:19; Rv 22:21 is also spoken through Him by us for God’s glory. # Mk 10:37; Lk 9:32; Jn 17:24; 2Co 3:18; 2Pt 3:18 21Now it is God who strengthens us, with you, in Christ and has anointed # Lk 4:18; 1Jn 2:20 us. 22He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment # Eph 1:14 in our hearts. # Jms 4:5
23I call on God as a witness, # Rm 1:9; Php 1:8; Heb 12:1 on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth. # 1Co 4:21; 2Co 13:2,10 24I do not mean that we have control of # Or we lord it over, or we rule over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand # Pr 24:16 by faith.
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© 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers, Nashville, Tennessee. All rights reserved.
2 Corinthians 1
1
Paul gives thanks to God
1From Paul, chosen by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and from Timothy, who is also a follower.#Ac 18.1.
To God's church in Corinth and to all 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 that 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.
8My 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.#1 Co 15.32. 9In fact, we felt sure that 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.
The work of an apostle for God's people
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 wonderful kindness 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. 16Once on my way to Macedonia and again on my return from there. Then you could send me on to Judea.#Ac 19.21. 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 that our answer to you has always been “Yes” and never “No”. 19This is because Jesus Christ the Son of God is always “Yes” and never “No”. And he is the one that Silas,#1.19 Silas: The Greek text has “Silvanus”, which is another form of the name Silas. Timothy, and I told you about.#Ac 18.5.
20Christ says “Yes” to all of God's promises. That's 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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© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012