1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God, and Timothy the brother, to the congregation of God that is at Corinth, with all the sanctified who are in the whole of Achaia. 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and Lord Jesus Christ. 3Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all encouragement, 4who encourages us in all our affliction, in order for us to be able to encourage those in every affliction, through the encouragement of which we ourselves are encouraged by God. 5Because, as the sufferings of the Christ abound to us, so also our encouragement abounds through the Christ. 6But whether we are oppressed, it is for your encouragement and salvation, which works by endurance from the same sufferings that we also experience (and our hope for you is steadfast), or we are encouraged, it is for your encourage 7knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also of the encouragement. 8For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, about our affliction that happened to us in Asia, because we were extraordinarily weighed down, above strength, so as for us to despair even to be alive. 9But we ourselves have had the sentence of death in ourselves, so that we should not be trusting in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead. 10Who rescued us out of so great a death, and does rescue, in whom we have hoped that he will also still rescue. 11And of you who help together by supplication for us (a gift for us from many persons, because of many), so that there may be gratitude about you. 12For our pride is this (the testimony from our conscience), that we behave in the world in the simplicity and purity of God, not by fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, and especially toward you. 13For we write no other thing to you, but rather what ye read or also acknowledge. And I hope ye will also acknowledge until the end, 14as also ye did acknowledge us in part, because we are your boast, just as ye also are ours in the day of the Lord Jesus. 15And in this confidence I intended to come to you earlier, so that ye might have a second benefit, 16and to pass through you into Macedonia, and to come again from Macedonia to you, and by you to be helped on the way toward Judea. 17Therefore intending this, did I accordingly employ anything in lightness? Or what I decide, do I decide according to flesh, so that it would be with me the yes, yes and the no, no? 18But God is faithful, because our word toward you became not, yes and no. 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ who was proclaimed among you by us (by me and Silvanus and Timothy) became not, yes and no, but in him has become, yes. 20For as many as be promises of God, in him is the Yes, and in him the Truly, for glory to God through us. 21Now he who establishes us with you in Christ, and who anointed us, is God. 22He also is who put a seal on us, and who gave the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts. 23But I call God for a witness upon my soul, that I did not yet come to Corinth, sparing you. 24Not because we lord over your faith, but are co-workmen of your joy, for by faith ye stand.