Chapter 1 |
| 1 I, Paul, by the will of God, have become an apostle of Jesus Christ. Together with my brother Timothy, we greet the church of God in Corinth. We also greet all God's holy people who live throughout Achaia. |
| 2 God is our Father, and Jesus Christ is our Lord. May God fill you with His grace, and may Jesus bring peace to your hearts. |
| 3 Blessed be God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly Father is full of compassion, and our God supports us in every difficult situation. |
| 4 He helps us cope with any trouble so that we can strengthen those who are going through hard times. Now we can support others the same way God supports us. |
| 5 The more we suffer for Christ, the more He helps us. |
| 6 When we go through difficulties, God strengthens us and saves us. If He does this for us, He will also do it for you. So you will be able to patiently endure the same sufferings that we are going through. |
| 7 We are confident that you will overcome all difficulties. Just as God supports us and saves us, He will support you and save you. We know that if you are suffering in the same way as we are, God will help you just as He has helped us. |
| 8 Brothers, we want you to know about the severe trials we went through in Asia. Our suffering was beyond our strength. We were so overwhelmed that we lost all hope of surviving. |
| 9 We felt as if we had already received a death sentence. But this happened so that we would no longer rely on ourselves but trust in God, who raises the dead. |
| 10 God has already delivered us from that deadly danger. We completely rely on Him and know that just as He is saving us now, He will continue to save us in the future. |
| 11 You pray for us, just as many others do. God answers these prayers, so many people thank Him for what He has done for us. |
| 12 We have nothing to blame ourselves for, and we say this with a clear conscience. Toward the world, and especially toward you, we acted honestly and sincerely as before God. We did not rely on human wisdom, but on God’s grace. |
| 13 We mean exactly what we have written. And I hope you will understand us completely. |
| 14 Although you have already understood us to some extent. When the day comes, and we all see our Lord Jesus Christ, you will rejoice because of us, and we will rejoice because of you. |
| 15 I was sure that you would be happy to see me when I came to you. So I wanted to visit you twice and bring you a double blessing. |
| 16 I planned to stop by and see you on my way to Macedonia. Then, on my return from Macedonia, I planned to visit you again. After that, I wanted you to help me get to Judea. |
| 17 But my plans changed. Some people may think that I make careless decisions. However, I am not the kind of person who says “yes” but actually means “no.” |
| 18 God is faithful to His promises. When He says something, that is exactly what He means. So we also mean exactly what we say. |
| 19 Jesus Christ is the Son of God. When Silas, Timothy, and I preached to you about Him, we did not say one thing today and something different tomorrow. Instead, there were no contradictions in our words. |
| 20 In Christ, God has fulfilled all His promises. When we came to Christ, we said “amen” to God, and now through us God shows His glory. |
| 21 In Christ, God has made all of us strong and has anointed us with His Spirit. |
| 22 God has put His seal on us, and we already belong to Him. His Spirit lives in our hearts, and this Spirit is the guarantee that God will fulfill everything He has promised. |
| 23 God is my witness that I am telling you the truth. I did not come to Corinth because I wanted to spare you. Otherwise, I would have had to be strict with you. |
| 24 You have a strong faith in the Lord. So we did not want you to feel any pressure from us. Instead, we wanted to see you and share the joy of fellowship. |
Chapter 2 |
| 1 I did not want to upset you again. So I decided not to come to you this time. |
| 2 If I upset you, then who will make me glad? |
| 3 I did not want to be upset by those who who are supposed to bring me joy. So I wrote that I wouldn't come to you. I am sure that when I rejoice, it brings joy to all of you as well. And when you rejoice, it also fills me with joy. |
| 4 I was very distressed, and my heart was filled with concern for you. I wrote to you with tears in my eyes, but not to upset you. Instead, I wanted you to understand how much I love you. |
| 5 I will say this without exaggeration: the one who caused me so much pain hurt not only me, but all of you as well. |
| 6 Many of you acknowledged that this person did wrong. This punishment is enough for him. |
| 7 Now, instead, forgive him and encourage him, so that he is not overwhelmed by excessive guilt. |
| 7 I ask you to show him that you love him. |
| 9 I wrote to you because I wanted to see if you would do everything I asked you to do. |
| 10 Anyone you forgive, I forgive as well. I do this in unity with you, as before Christ. |
| 11 We know how Satan works, and we do not want him to deceive us and use us to carry out his plans. |
| 12 When I came to the city of Troas, the Lord opened a door for me to minister and gave me the opportunity to preach the Good News about Christ there. |
| 13 But I had no peace in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus in Troas. So I said goodbye to the believers and went to Macedonia. |
| 14 I am thankful to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ. Through us, God spreads everywhere the knowledge of Himself, which is pleasant, like a sweet fragrance. |
| 15 And to God, we become the same pleasant fragrance when we tell others about Christ. This fragrance is sensed both by those who are going toward salvation and by those who are going toward destruction. |
| 16 For some people, this fragrance becomes the smell of death. But for others, it becomes the smell of life. Look at the great responsibility God has placed on us! |
| 17 Many people preach God's Word to gain profit for themselves. But we do not distort God's Word. Instead, we preach sincerely and honestly, as before God. God has entrusted this ministry to us, and we act as representatives of Christ. |
Chapter 3 |
| 1 Do we have to introduce ourselves to you again and tell you about ourselves, like others do, with letters of recommendation? |
| 2 You yourselves are the best proof of our work among you. You hold a special place in our hearts. You are like an open letter that anyone who knows you can read. |
| 3 By the way you live, you show that you are a letter from Christ. Through our ministry, Christ wrote this letter not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets, like Moses, but on your hearts. |
| 4 We have received this confidence from God through Christ. |
| 5 When we serve God, we do not rely on ourselves and do not think that we can do this by our own strength. Instead, this ability comes from God. |
| 6 God has made a New Agreement with us and has given us the ability to be ministers of the New Covenant. There was a time when we followed what was written in the Law of Moses letter by letter. In this way, we served God. The Law of Moses pointed out our sins to us, and sin brought us death. But through Christ, God set us free from sin and gave us His Spirit, who brought us life. Now we serve God by the Spirit, not by the letter of the Law or by the rules written in the Law of Moses. |
| 7 When Moses went up Mount Sinai, God gave him His Law, which He wrote on stone tablets. This Law pointed out people's sins, and sin brought them death. However, God filled Moses' ministry with His glory. That is why when Moses came down from the mountain, his face was shining with God's glory. And though this radiance gradually faded, the people of Israel could not look at Moses' face. |
| 8 If the ministry that brought death was filled with glory, how much greater glory must fill the ministry of serving God in the Holy Spirit? |
| 9 God filled with His glory the ministry of the Old Covenant, which brought condemnation to people. How much greater is the glory with which God fills the ministry of the New Covenant, which brings God's righteousness to people? |
| 10 The glory that God showed in the Old Covenant fades in comparison with the glory He shows in the New Covenant. |
| 11 The glory of the Old Covenant was temporary, but the glory of the New Covenant will last forever. |
| 12 Now we live in the New Covenant, not the Old Covenant. And this gives us so much confidence that we act with great boldness. |
| 13 We do not act like Moses, who covered his face with a veil so that the people of Israel would not see God’s glory fading away. |
| 14 The people of Israel still do not understand that the Old Testament speaks about Christ. As Moses covered his face with a veil, so even now the same veil prevents people from understanding the true meaning of the Old Testament. Only Christ can remove this veil. |
| 15 And even now, when the Jews read what Moses wrote, this veil covers their hearts. |
| 16 But when they turn to the Lord Jesus, He removes this veil. |
| 17 The Lord is the Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. |
| 18 Now we all look openly at the Lord Jesus. We see the glory of Christ, and His image is reflected in us like in a mirror. The more we look at the glory of Christ, the more we become like Him and move toward even greater glory. The Lord does all of this through the power of His Spirit. |
Chapter 4 |
| 1 God has had mercy on us and entrusted us with this ministry, that is why we do not lose heart. |
| 2 We do not live double lives or do anything in secret that would bring us shame. We do not resort to cunning to achieve our goals, and we do not distort God's Word. Instead, we openly speak the truth openly. We act with a clear conscience and behave honestly before God and before people. |
| 3 We preach the Good News about Christ. The only people who do not accept it are those who are going toward destruction. It's as if a veil is covering their eyes, so they reject this message. |
| 4 Jesus is the image of the invisible God. But Satan is the god of this world. He has blinded the minds of unbelievers and prevents them from understanding the Good News. So they are spiritually blind and do not see the light that shines when we tell them about the glory of Christ. |
| 5 We do not preach about ourselves, but about Jesus Christ. He is our Lord, so we serve you. |
| 6 Once God said, “Let light shine out of darkness.” With this light, He illuminated our hearts so that we might see His glory, which God showed us through Jesus Christ. |
| 7 God has put His treasure in us, but we are like jars of clay. So the great power that works through us does not belong to us, but to God. |
| 8 We constantly face difficulties, but we do not give up. We do not always understand what to do, but we do not lose heart. |
| 9 People persecute us because we believe in Christ, but God does not abandon us. We go through trials that we were not prepared for, but these trials cannot destroy us. |
| 10 When we preach, we are always putting our lives in mortal danger. But this is how the Lord Jesus works through us and fills us with His life. |
| 11 We constantly live under the threat of death because we serve Jesus. But we know that the life of Jesus, that is stronger than death, is at work in our mortal bodies. |
| 12 We expose ourselves to mortal danger, but because of this, God has given you life. |
| 13 We speak about Christ because we believe in Him. God has given us the same spirit of faith as King David had, and he said, “I believe, so I speak” (Psalm 116:10). We also believe, so we speak. |
| 14 We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. Through Christ, God will also raise us from the dead. Then together with you, we will be in God's presence. |
| 15 We go through all these sufferings for your sake. When we preach, people turn to Christ, and God gives them His great grace. The more people receive this grace, the more thanks and glory God receives. |
| 16 So we do not lose heart. Over time, our body becomes weaker. But day by day, God renews us from within, and our inner spiritual person becomes stronger. |
| 17 Our sufferings are temporary and insignificant compared to the eternal glory that awaits us in the future. |
| 18 We do not focus on what we see in the physical world. Instead, we focus on the invisible spiritual world, because the visible world is temporary, but the invisible world is eternal. |
Chapter 5 |
| 1 We know that one day we will die, and our earthly body will be destroyed, like a temporary tent. But God has prepared another home for us in heaven. He has created an immortal heavenly body that will be our eternal home. |
| 2 While we live in our earthly body, we suffer and groan. We await the day when God will give us our new heavenly body, so that we can put it on like clothing. And this body will be our heavenly home. |
| 3 When we die, we will not be left without a body, as if we were without clothes. Instead, God will give us a new heavenly body. |
| 4 Now we suffer and feel the weight of problems because we live in our earthly body. But we do not want to get rid of this body. Instead, we want God to clothe us with a new heavenly body. Then life will conquer death. |
| 5 God created us for this purpose. He gave us His Holy Spirit as a guarantee that He will fulfill what He has promised. |
| 6 So we are confident that our home is in heaven. We understand that as long as we live in our earthly body, we still do not see the Lord as He is. |
| 7 But we live by faith, not by what we see in the physical world. |
| 8 We are confident that to be with the Lord is far better than to live on earth. And that is exactly what we want. |
| 9 So we strive to live in a way that pleases God. Then it will not be important to us whether we live on earth or have already met the Lord. |
| 10 We will all come before the judgment seat of Christ. Then each one will receive what he deserves for what he has done while living on earth. Therefore, do good, not evil. |
| 11 So, we know that everyone will be accountable to the Lord for his actions. That is why we persuade others to follow Christ. We act according to our conscience, and God can see that we are sincere. I hope you can see it too. |
| 12 We are not praising ourselves to make a good impression on you. We want you to know how to answer those who unjustly accuse us. These people are proud of their outward success and do not care about the inner condition of their hearts. |
| 13 We serve God so devotedly that people consider us crazy. But you know how wisely we act. |
| 14 We are driven by the love of Christ. And we are convinced that if Christ died for all of us, then now we must all die to our old sinful life. |
| 15 Christ died for all of us so that we might dedicate our lives to Him and no longer live for ourselves. Now we must live for the One who died for us and rose again. |
| 16 We no longer judge people the way the world does. In the past, we viewed Christ as an ordinary man. But now we see Him very differently. |
| 17 So the one who belongs to Christ is a new creation. Everything old has passed away, and now everything new has begun. |
| 18 All this was given to us by God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ. God gave us the ministry to preach to people so that they would be reconciled to Him. |
| 19 God came to us in Christ to reconcile the whole world to Himself. He forgave people all their sins and removed their guilt. God gave us the opportunity to tell others how they can be reconciled to Him. |
| 20 We represent Christ, and through us God Himself appeals to people. So in Christ's name, we ask everyone to be reconciled to God. |
| 21 Christ never sinned, but God offered Him as a sacrifice for our sins. And through the sacrifice of Christ, God gave us His righteousness. |
Chapter 6 |
| 1 We are participating in what God is doing. So we ask you not to neglect the grace He has given you. |
| 2 The Lord said through the prophet, “I have heard you at the right time. And I have helped you in the day of salvation. Now is the right time. Now is the day of salvation” (Isaiah 49:8). |
| 3 We live in such a way that no one has reason to criticize our ministry. |
| 4 Instead, we demonstrate through our entire lives that we serve God. So we endure all troubles, material difficulties, and tough situations with great patience. |
| 5 We have been beaten, imprisoned, and have faced riots from crowds. We have worked ourselves to the point of exhaustion, gone without sleep, and gone hungry. |
| 6 But we continue to serve God with a pure heart. He gives us the ability to act wisely and thoughtfully. We treat everyone with patience and kindness. The Lord fills us with the Holy Spirit, and we sincerely love both God and people. |
| 7 We preach the Word of truth, and God works through us with His power. He has given us His righteousness, and we hold it like a weapon in the right hand and in the left. |
| 8 Some people respect us, but others despise us. Some people criticize us, but others praise us. We are considered deceivers, though we act honestly. |
| 9 People know us, but they ignore us. We are considered dead, but we are still alive. We are beaten, but we do not die. |
| 10 People make us sad, but we are always rejoicing. We are poor, but through us many receive true riches. We have nothing, but we possess everything. |
| 11 O Corinthians, we speak to you sincerely, and our hearts are open to you. |
| 12 We do not hide that we love you, but you have closed your hearts and withdrawn from us. |
| 13 I speak to you as to my children — take a step toward us. |
| 14 Do not associate with unbelievers or compromise on anything that contradicts your faith. What connection can righteousness and sin have? What can light and darkness have in common? |
| 15 Can Christ and Satan be in agreement? Can a believer take part in what an unbeliever does? |
| 16 Can there be idols in God's temple? You are the temple of the living God. God said this in Scripture, “I will dwell in the hearts of people and live among them. I will be their God, and they will be My people” (Leviticus 26:11–12). |
| 17 So the Lord says, “Do not act as those who do not know Me. Do not participate in what they do. Do not touch anything that defiles you. Then you will belong to Me” (Isaiah 52:11). |
| 18 This is what the Lord Almighty says, “I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters” (Leviticus 26:12). |
Chapter 7 |
| 1 My dear friends, God has given us such wonderful promises. So cleanse yourselves from everything that defiles your body and spirit. Do not justify sin, but strive to live holy lives with deep respect and awe for God. |
| 2 Open your hearts to us. We have harmed no one, misled no one, and taken advantage of no one. |
| 3 I am not writing this to condemn you. I have already told you that you have a special place in our hearts. We are ready to go with you through any circumstances, even if it costs us our lives. |
| 4 I trust you completely and am happy to tell others about you. Despite all the troubles we face, you greatly encourage me, and my heart is overflowing with joy. |
| 5 When we arrived in Macedonia, we were physically exhausted. We were under pressure from all sides. Conflicts were raging around us, and within us, we were struggling with our own fears. |
| 6 But God helps those who are in trouble. That's why He sent Titus to support us. |
| 7 We rejoiced not only at his arrival but also at the way you welcomed him. Titus told us how much you wanted to see me, how you were moved to tears by what had happened, and how sincerely you cared for me. So all this made me even happier. |
| 8 Even if my letter upset you, I do not regret it. Although at first I doubted whether I had done the right thing. I understand that for some time it was difficult and painful for you to accept it. |
| 9 However, now I rejoice, not because you were upset, but because you recognized your guilt, and this led you to repentance. You realized that you were guilty before God, so you did not suffer at all from my letter. |
| 10 When we recognize our guilt before God, it always leads us to repentance, and repentance leads to salvation. People who do not know God can also regret their actions and feel guilty. But this does not lead them to life. Instead, it leads them to spiritual death, because they do not ask God to forgive their sins. |
| 11 Look how much you changed when you realized your guilt before God. You began to take seriously what was happening. You felt a desire to clarify what had happened. You were so outraged by the person's actions that you could no longer tolerate them. You were afraid that you might find yourselves in a similar situation again. So you felt a sincere desire to make things right and began looking for a way out. You did everything you could to make the guilty person realize his mistake. And in the end, you did the right thing. |
| 12 I did not write to you to figure out who was right and who was wrong. Instead, I wanted to understand how mature you were and how you would handle this situation. |
| 13 You have comforted us and made us happy. But we were even happier that you all welcomed Titus so warmly that he returned to us calm and joyful. |
| 14 I praised you before Titus, and you have not let me down. Everything we told you was true. And everything I told Titus about you turned out to be true. |
| 15 Titus has become very attached to you. He remembers how you all listened attentively to what he taught you. You treated him with great respect and showed him your sincere devotion. |
| 16 I am glad that I can trust you completely in everything. |
Chapter 8 |
| 1 Brothers, we want to tell you about the grace God has given to the churches of Macedonia. |
| 2 They are going through great trials and suffering, but they are overflowing with joy. They are very poor, but they show boundless generosity. |
| 3 I testify that they voluntarily gave everything they could. They gave even when they were in great need. |
| 4 They wanted to serve God's holy people in Jerusalem and help them financially. So they insisted that we accept their gift. |
| 5 The churches of Macedonia have done even more than we expected. First, they dedicated themselves to the Lord. And then, by God's will, they joined us and helped us support believers in need. |
| 6 You also began collecting for them when Titus was with you. So we asked him to return to you so that you would complete this collection and pass on the aid to the church in Jerusalem. |
| 7 You are strong in many things. You are rich in faith, you preach well, and you have much knowledge. You serve God faithfully and treat us with love. Now let generosity become your strength too. |
| 8 I am not forcing you to give offerings. Instead, I want you to show the sincerity of your love. So I give you the example of the churches in Macedonia, who do everything they can to help others. |
| 9 You know what grace God has given you and what price our Lord Jesus Christ paid for you. He had all riches, but for your sake He gave up everything so that you could receive true riches through His sacrifice. |
| 10 I am giving you advice that will benefit you. Last year you wanted to help the believers in Jerusalem, and even then you began collecting financial aid for them. |
| 11 You had a great desire to help others. Now finish what you started. Give as much as you can afford. |
| 12 If you sincerely want to help, God will accept any gift you give. Help others according to what you have. God does not ask more of you than you can give. |
| 13 I do not want you to become burdened because you help others. Instead, I want you to support one another. |
| 14 Right now you have abundance, so you can help those who lack. But in the future it may happen that you have a shortage and others have abundance, and then they will help you. In this way, you can support each other. |
| 15 Scripture says, “The one who gathered much manna had nothing left over. And the one who gathered little had no lack” (Exodus 16:16-18). |
| 16 I thank God for putting in Titus's heart a sincere desire to serve you. He cares for you as much as I do. |
| 17 I asked him to visit you, but he went to you of his own free will because he was eager to see you. |
| 18 Along with Titus, we sent you another brother, the one who is respected by all the churches for the way he spreads the Good News about Christ. |
| 19 Moreover, the churches themselves chose this brother to accompany us when we go to Jerusalem with the collection. We do this to glorify the Lord, so we approach this service with full responsibility. |
| 20 We do not want anyone to accuse us of mismanaging these generous offerings that people have entrusted to our ministry. |
| 21 We strive to do what is right not only before the Lord but also before people. We care about our reputation. |
| 22 We have sent another brother along with them. He has helped us in many ways and has always demonstrated his faithfulness. He is glad that you are willing to help others. He is confident that you will collect an offering for the believers in need, and he will gladly deliver this gift to Jerusalem. |
| 23 Titus is my companion, who serves the Lord with me and works among you. The other two brothers who will come with Titus are representatives of their churches, through whom Christ shows His glory. |
| 24 So show your love to these brothers not with words but with deeds, and finish collecting the offering. Then all the churches will see that our praise for you is not in vain. |
Chapter 9 |
| 1 I do not need to write to you about supporting believers who are facing financial difficulties. |
| 2 I know that you have been willing to help those in need for a long time, and I gladly told the churches in Macedonia about you. I told them that you, who live in Achaia, began collecting offerings last year. That is why many people followed your example. |
| 3 I told others that you were ready to help the believers in Jerusalem. So I sent brothers to you in advance so that you could give them your offerings. I have praised you before others, and I think I was right about you. |
| 4 Perhaps some brothers from Macedonia will come with me to you. I have spoken to them with great confidence about your willingness to help others. By that time, you should have finished collecting the offering. Otherwise, not only you but all of us will be ashamed. |
| 5 So I thought I should ask Titus and the other brothers to come to you in advance. I wanted to make sure that you had already prepared all the offerings you promised to give last year. I also wanted you to do this voluntarily, as an expression of your generosity, and not out of obligation or under pressure. |
| 6 This is what I tell you — he who sows little will reap a small harvest. But he who sows generously will reap a bountiful harvest. |
| 7 God loves the one who joyfully helps others. So let each person decide in his heart how much he wants to give. Give without regret or compulsion, but willingly and joyfully. |
| 8 God can give you such abundance of grace that you will always have more than enough. Then you will have everything you need to do much good. |
| 9 Scripture says, “The righteous man generously shares what he has and helps those in need, and people will always remember his good deeds” (Psalm 112:9). |
| 10 First God gives the farmer seeds, and then He also gives him bread to eat. In the same way, you share with others what God gives you. And He will abundantly provide you with everything you need and multiply in your life what you have sown. Then you will be able to do even more good. |
| 11 God gives you abundance in everything so that you can always share generously with others. And because of your help, people will thank God. |
| 12 You serve and provide financial support to God’s holy people. And because of your generosity, many people thank God again and again. |
| 13 As a result of your ministry, people glorify the Lord. They understand that you live according to the teaching of Christ and confirm your faith through your actions. You generously share what you have, not only with them but also with all others in need. |
| 14 Those you help pray for you with deep affection because they can see God's abundant grace in your life. |
| 15 How grateful I am to God for His priceless gift, which cannot be described in words! |
Chapter 10 |
| 1 I, Paul, do not speak harshly to you. Instead, I communicate gently and patiently according to the teaching of Christ. Some people think that in person I am calm and reserved, but in letters I express myself strictly and harshly. Yet I write only what I am prepared to tell you in person. |
| 2 I ask you not to force me to be strict when I come to you, because some of you think we are acting out of personal motives. |
| 3 We live in this world, but we do not wage war against anyone using worldly principles. |
| 4 We do not influence people with worldly methods to change the way they think. Instead, God gives us His power to destroy false beliefs that have taken root in people's minds. |
| 5 With this God’s power, we destroy all false ideas about God that prevent people from knowing Him. We teach people to take captive every thought that contradicts Christ’s teaching, so that everyone will learn to think according to the teaching of Christ. |
| 6 We want you to submit completely to Christ. But if after this letter anyone continues to rebel against God, we are ready to speak with such a person with all strictness to restore order in the church. |
| 7 You judge us very superficially. You are sure that you belong to Christ. But you must understand that we also belong to Him. |
| 8 The Lord has given us authority to strengthen you spiritually, not to destroy you. So I will not hesitate to use this authority even more in the church. |
| 9 Do not think that I am simply trying to frighten you with my letters. |
| 10 Though some people say this about me, “He writes strictly and directly, but in person he does not make a strong impression. And what he says does not make much sense.” |
| 11 Such people should know that I write only what I am ready to tell you personally. And my behavior is no different from my words in my letters. |
| 12 How foolish are those who praise themselves in front of others! They have an inflated self-esteem, and so they cannot correctly evaluate their actions. But we will not follow the example of such people. |
| 13 We do not boast excessively or exaggerate our importance. We speak only of what God has entrusted us. He has given us a specific area of ministry, which includes our work among you. |
| 14 We have come to you because God has entrusted us with sharing the Good News about Christ. So when we speak about our authority, we are not going beyond what God has given us. |
| 15 We do not praise ourselves excessively or take credit for what others have done. But we hope that your faith will grow. Then we can serve you even more. |
| 16 We do not take credit for the work of others. Instead, we want to preach in those places where people have not yet heard the Good News about Christ. |
| 17 Do not praise yourselves, but praise the Lord for everything He does. |
| 18 If a person praises himself, it does not mean he deserves it. But if the Lord praises him, he is truly worthy of it. |
Chapter 11 |
| 1 Be patient and listen to me, even if my words seem foolish to you. |
| 2 I am concerned for you and feel accountable before God, because I brought you to Christ. I want you to remain faithful to Him, as a pure and blameless bride is faithful to her one and only bridegroom. |
| 3 I am afraid that you may be deceived as skillfully as the serpent deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden. You may believe the lie and lose your simple and sincere faith in Christ. |
| 4 You eagerly listen to anyone who tells you about Jesus in a completely different way than we have taught you. You agree to receive another spirit instead of the Holy Spirit you have already received from God. You are ready to believe in a different “Good News about Christ” than the one you believed before. |
| 5 I consider myself in no way inferior to those whom you call “the great apostles.” |
| 6 Though I am not a master of eloquent speech, I am not lacking in knowledge. And you yourselves have seen this many times. |
| 7 When I preached the Good News about Christ to you, I did not burden you with my financial needs. Instead, I cared for you and did not expect anything in return. Did I do wrong? |
| 8 I served you, but I received support not from you but from other churches. |
| 9 When I was with you and was in financial need, I did not burden any of you. The brothers from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I will continue to act this way in the future. |
| 10 The truth of Christ lives in me. No one will force me to act differently when I minister in the regions of Achaia. |
| 11 Why am I acting this way? Is it because I do not love you? God knows that I love you! |
| 12 The way I act now is the way I will act in the future. I do this so that those who boastfully call themselves “great apostles” will have no reason to believe that they have the same apostolic ministry as we do. |
| 13 Such people are false apostles. They claim to be apostles of Christ, but actually they are misleading people. |
| 14 And this is not surprising, because Satan himself disguises himself as an angel of light. |
| 15 So it is not surprising that those who serve Satan also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. But in the end, they will receive what they deserve for their deeds. |
| 16 I do not want to boast, so that I do not appear foolish. But I will still speak about myself, even if my words seem foolish to you. |
| 17 I am not speaking on behalf of the Lord. Instead, I am speaking as one who has decided to praise himself, though I realize that boasting is foolish. |
| 18 But since many people praise themselves, I will do the same. |
| 19 You are intelligent people, but you readily tolerate those who behave foolishly. |
| 20 You tolerate it when someone dominates you, lives at your expense, and uses cunning to profit from you. You tolerate it when someone behaves arrogantly toward you and insults you to your face. |
| 21 I am even embarrassed that we have not treated you the way others do. If others are bold enough to boast, then I also will speak boldly about myself, even though I realize that boasting is foolish. |
| 22 Are they Jews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. |
| 23 Do they serve Christ? It sounds bold, but I serve Him more than they do. I have worked harder, been imprisoned more often, suffered countless beatings, and have come close to death more than once. |
| 24 Five times the Jews beat me. They punished me according to the Law of Moses, and each time I received thirty-nine lashes (Deuteronomy 25:1–3). |
| 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, and once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Then I spent all night and all day on the open sea. |
| 26 I traveled a lot. I encountered dangerous situations while sailing on rivers. I was threatened by robbers. I faced threats from Jews and from people of other nations. I faced danger in cities, in the desert, and at sea. I was in danger from those who called themselves believers, but actually they were not true believers. |
| 27 I worked hard until I was exhausted and often did not sleep at night. I went hungry and thirsty and often went without food at all. I had no warm clothing, and I was cold. |
| 28 Besides all this, day after day I bear responsibility for all the churches and care for them. |
| 29 If someone becomes weak, I have compassion for him. I truly care about anyone who strays from the right path. |
| 30 If I ever praise myself, I will talk about the things that show how weak I am. |
| 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus is worthy of eternal glory. He knows that I am not lying. |
| 32 While I was in the city of Damascus, the governor appointed by King Aretas was guarding the city to arrest me. But the believers put me into a basket and lowered me down the city wall through a window. That is how I escaped and avoided arrest. |
Chapter 12 |
| 1 I see no benefit in praising myself, because then I would have to talk about the visions and revelations the Lord gave me. |
| 2 I know a man who believes in Christ. Fourteen years ago, God took him up to the third heaven. Whether he was in the body at that time or out of the body, I do not know. Only God knows. |
| 3 Yes, I know such a man. Whether this really happened or was a vision, I do not know. Only God knows. |
| 4 The Lord took him to paradise. There he heard words that cannot be expressed and must not be spoken. |
| 5 I can speak about such a man, but I will not boast about myself. And if I do speak about myself, I will speak only about the things that show how weak I am. |
| 6 Even if I wanted to boast, it would not seem foolish, because I would be telling the truth. But I do not do this on purpose, so that no one will think more of me than I truly am. Otherwise, people might overestimate me and attribute to me what is not really true in my life. |
| 7 God gave me exceedingly great revelations, but to keep me from becoming arrogant, He gave me a thorn in the flesh. It is a messenger of Satan who brings me suffering. |
| 8 Three times I persistently asked the Lord to deliver me from this messenger of Satan. |
| 9 But the Lord said to me, “I have given you enough of My grace. When you are weak, that is when My power is greatest.” Now I rejoice in speaking about those moments that show how weak I am. That is when Christ's power works through me. |
| 10 So now I have a reason to rejoice when I am running low on strength. For Christ's sake, I endure insults, severe trials, persecution, and difficult situations. In such moments I rejoice, because when I am weak, I am truly strong. |
| 11 I had to speak about myself, and this may seem like foolish boasting. But you yourselves put me in this position. You should have praised me, because I am in no way inferior to those whom you call “great apostles.” Although without God I am nothing. |
| 12 When I was with you, you saw for yourselves that I am a true apostle. I served you patiently. You saw supernatural manifestations, miracles, and the power of God. |
| 13 I treated you just as well as I did the other churches. But I did not burden you with my financial needs because the other churches supported me. This is the only thing I've done wrong. Forgive me for this! |
| 14 This is the third time I am going to visit you. And I will not put my financial problems on you. I need you, not what you have. It is not children who should provide for their parents, but parents who should provide for their children. |
| 15 So for your sake, I will gladly give everything I have and will not spare myself. Even though you love me less than I do. |
| 16 I did not burden you with my financial needs. But some people accuse me of acting cunningly and still getting what I wanted from you. |
| 17 I sent the brothers to you so that you could give them the donations you collected for the church in Jerusalem. But did I take any of those donations for myself? |
| 18 I asked Titus to visit you, and I sent another brother with him. Did Titus seek his own advantage? Of course not. We acted in the same spirit and dealt with you with the same honesty. |
| 19 Do you really think that we are just trying to defend ourselves? No. We belong to Christ, and we say all this before God. My dear friends, we do this to strengthen your faith and help you understand everything clearly. |
| 20 I am afraid that when I come to you, I may find you quarreling, being jealous, speaking in anger, and competing with one another. I am concerned that you are neglecting one another’s interests, spreading slander, gossiping, acting arrogantly, and causing disorder. Then you might not like how I respond. |
| 21 I am worried that when I come to you again, I will be ashamed before God because of your behavior. I may have to grieve over many who still have not repented of their immoral acts, their sexual misconduct, and who continue to follow their sinful desires. |
Chapter 13 |
| 1 This will be the third time I am coming to you. If any problems arise in the church, I will deal with them according to Scripture: “Any accusation must be confirmed by two or three witnesses” (Deuteronomy 19:15). |
| 2 When I visited you the second time, I already warned those who were living in sin that if they did not repent, I would act firmly. And now, while I am still away, I am writing this to warn them again — and everyone else as well. When I come, I will be strict to restore order in the church. |
| 3 Do you want proof that Christ is speaking through me? Yes, I may seem weak to you, but Christ is at work through me. And you have already seen His power among you. |
| 4 When Christ was crucified, from a human point of view He seemed weak. But God showed His power and raised Him from the dead. We belong to Christ, and we too may seem weak. But through God’s power we will live with Christ. And God will work through us and show you His power. |
| 5 Do not test me; instead test yourselves. Make sure that you are truly living by faith. Examine your hearts and actions. You know that if Christ lives in you, it should be evident in your life. But if you do not see any changes in your life, you need to take a serious look at your spiritual condition. |
| 6 I hope you realize that we truly serve Christ. |
| 7 We do not want to use our authority when we come to you. That is why we pray to God that you would do good and do no evil. Then we will not have to be strict to restore order in the church. |
| 8 We never go against the truth and always stand for it. That is why we support those who do what is right. But if someone turns away from the truth, we will not tolerate it. |
| 9 We rejoice when you are strong in faith, and we do not need to be strict. That is why we pray for your spiritual growth and maturity. |
| The Lord has given me authority to strengthen you spiritually, not to destroy you. That is why I am writing to you in advance so that when we meet I will not have to be harsh. |
| 11 Finally, brothers, rejoice and grow spiritually. Support one another, live in harmony and peace. Then the God who gives love and peace will always be with you. |
| 12 As a sign of God's holy love, greet one another with a brotherly kiss. |
| 13 All God's holy people send you greetings. |
| 14 Live in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and in the love of God the Father. May the Holy Spirit have fellowship with you all. Amen. |