2 Corinthians 1; 2 Corinthians 2; 2 Corinthians 3; 2 Corinthians 4; 2 Corinthians 5; 2 Corinthians 6; 2 Corinthians 7; 2 Corinthians 8; 2 Corinthians 9; 2 Corinthians 10; 2 Corinthians 11; 2 Corinthians 12; 2 Corinthians 13

2 Corinthians 1

1 I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Timothy our brother joins me in writing. We are sending this letter to you, the members of God's church in Corinth. It is also for all of God's people everywhere in Achaia.

2 May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.

3 Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him.

4 He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves have received comfort from God.

5 We share the sufferings of Christ. We also share his comfort.

6 If we are having trouble, it is so that you will be comforted and renewed. If we are comforted, it is so that you will be comforted. Then you will be able to put up with the same suffering we have gone through.

7 Our hope for you remains firm. We know that you suffer just as we do. In the same way, God comforts you just as he comforts us.

8 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the hard times we suffered in Asia Minor. We were having a lot of trouble. It was far more than we could stand. We even thought we were going to die.

9 In fact, in our hearts we felt as if we were under the sentence of death. But that happened so that we would not depend on ourselves but on God. He raises the dead to life.

10 God has saved us from deadly dangers. And he will continue to do it. We have put our hope in him. He will continue to save us.

11 You must help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because of what will happen to us. They will thank God for his kindness to us in answer to the prayers of many.

12 Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong gives witness that we have acted in God's holy and honest ways. That is how we live in the world. We live that way most of all when we are dealing with you. Our way of living is not wise in the eyes of the world. But it is in keeping with God's grace.

13 We are writing only what you can read and understand. And here is what I hope.

14 Up to this point you have understood some of the things we have said. But now I hope that someday you will be able to take pride in us, just as we will take pride in you on the day the Lord Jesus returns. When you are able to do that, you will understand us completely.

15 I was sure of those things. So I planned to visit you first. Here is how I thought you would be helped twice.

16 I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. I would have come back to you from there. Then you would have sent me on my way to Judea.

17 When I planned all of that, did I do it without much thought? No. I don't make my plans the way the world makes theirs. In the same breath the world says, "Yes! Yes!" and "No! No!"

18 But just as sure as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No."

19 Silas, Timothy and I preached to you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our message did not say "Yes" and "No" at the same time. The message of Christ has always been "Yes."

20 God has made a great many promises. They are all "Yes" because of what Christ has done. So through Christ we say "Amen." We want God to receive glory.

21 He makes both us and you stand firm because we belong to Christ. He anointed us.

22 He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us.

23 I call God as my witness. I wanted to spare you. So I didn't return to Corinth.

24 Your faith is not under our control. You stand firm in your own faith. But we work together with you for your joy.

2 Corinthians 2

1 So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.

2 If I make you sad, who is going to make me glad? Only you, the one I made sad.

3 I wrote what I did for a special reason. When I came, I didn't want to be troubled by those who should make me glad. I was sure that all of you would share my joy.

4 I was very troubled when I wrote to you. My heart was sad. My eyes were full of tears. I didn't want to make you sad. I wanted to let you know that I love you very deeply.

5 Suppose someone has made us sad. In some ways, he hasn't made me sad so much as he has made all of you sad. But I don't want to put this too strongly.

6 He has been punished because most of you decided he should be. That is enough for him.

7 Now you should forgive him and comfort him. Then he won't be sad more than he can stand.

8 So I'm asking you to tell him again that you still love him.

9 I wrote to you for a special reason. I wanted to see if you could stand the test. I wanted to see if you could obey everything that was asked of you.

10 Anyone you forgive I also forgive. Was there anything to forgive? If so, I have forgiven it for your benefit, knowing that Christ is watching.

11 We don't want Satan to outsmart us. We know how he does his evil work.

12 I went to Troas to preach the good news about Christ. There I found that the Lord had opened a door of opportunity for me.

13 But I still had no peace of mind. I couldn't find my brother Titus there. So I said good-by to the believers at Troas and went on to Macedonia.

14 Give thanks to God! He always leads us in the winners' parade because we belong to Christ. Through us, God spreads the knowledge of Christ everywhere like perfume.

15 God considers us to be the sweet smell that Christ is spreading among people who are being saved and people who are dying.

16 To the one, we are the smell of death. To the other, we are the perfume of life. Who is able to do that work?

17 Unlike many people, we aren't selling God's word to make money. In fact, it is just the opposite. Because of Christ we speak honestly before God. We speak like people God has sent.

2 Corinthians 3

1 Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Some people need letters that speak well of them. Do we need those kinds of letters, either to you or from you?

2 You yourselves are our letter. You are written on our hearts. Everyone knows you and reads you.

3 You make it clear that you are a letter from Christ. You are the result of our work for God. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. You are a letter written not on tablets made out of stone but on human hearts.

4 Through Christ, we can be sure of this because of our faith in God's power.

5 In ourselves we are not able to claim anything for ourselves. The power to do what we do comes from God.

6 He has given us the power to serve under a new covenant. The covenant is not based on the written Law of Moses. It comes from the Holy Spirit. The written Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

7 The Law was written in letters on stone. Even though it was a way of serving God, it led to death. But even that way of serving God came with glory. And even though the glory was fading, the people of Israel couldn't look at Moses' face very long.

8 Since all of that is true, won't the work of the Holy Spirit be even more glorious?

9 The Law that sentences people to death is glorious. How much more glorious is the work of the Spirit! His work makes people right with God.

10 The glory of the old covenant is nothing compared with the far greater glory of the new.

11 The glory of the old is fading away. How much greater is the glory of the new! It will last forever.

12 Since we have that kind of hope, we are very bold.

13 We are not like Moses. He used to cover his face with a veil. That was to keep the people of Israel from looking at his face while the brightness was fading away.

14 But their minds were made stubborn. To this very day, the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. The veil has not been removed. Only faith in Christ can take it away.

15 To this very day, when the Law of Moses is read, a veil covers the minds of those who hear it.

16 But when anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

17 Now the Lord is the Holy Spirit. And where the Spirit of the Lord is, freedom is also there.

18 Our faces are not covered with a veil. We all display the Lord's glory. We are being changed to become more like him so that we have more and more glory. And the glory comes from the Lord, who is the Holy Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4

1 So because of God's mercy, we have work to do. He has given it to us. And we don't give up.

2 Instead, we have given up doing secret and shameful things. We don't twist God's word. In fact, we do just the opposite. We present the truth plainly. In the sight of God, we make our appeal to everyone's sense of what is right and wrong.

3 Suppose our good news is covered with a veil. Then it is veiled to those who are dying.

4 The god of this world has blinded the minds of those who don't believe. They can't see the light of the good news of Christ's glory. He is the likeness of God.

5 We do not preach about ourselves. We preach about Jesus Christ. We say that he is Lord. And we serve you because of him.

6 God said, "Let light shine out of darkness."(Genesis 1:3) He made his light shine in our hearts. It shows us the light of God's glory in the face of Christ.

7 Treasure is kept in clay jars. In the same way, we have the treasure of the good news in these earthly bodies of ours. That shows that the mighty power of the good news comes from God. It doesn't come from us.

8 We are pushed hard from all sides. But we are not beaten down. We are bewildered. But that doesn't make us lose hope.

9 Others make us suffer. But God does not desert us. We are knocked down. But we are not knocked out.

10 We always carry around the death of Jesus in our bodies. In that way, the life of Jesus can be shown in our bodies.

11 We who are alive are always in danger of death because we are serving Jesus. So his life can be shown in our earthly bodies.

12 Death is at work in us. But life is at work in you.

13 It is written, "I believed, and so I have spoken."(Psalm 116:10) With that same spirit of faith we also believe. And we also speak.

14 We know that God raised the Lord Jesus from the dead. And he will also raise us up with Jesus. He will bring us with you to God in heaven.

15 All of that is for your benefit. God's grace is reaching more and more people. So they will become more and more thankful. They will give glory to God.

16 We don't give up. Our bodies are becoming weaker and weaker. But our spirits are being renewed day by day.

17 Our troubles are small. They last only for a short time. But they are earning for us a glory that will last forever. It is greater than all our troubles.

18 So we don't spend all our time looking at what we can see. Instead, we look at what we can't see. What can be seen lasts only a short time. But what can't be seen will last forever.

2 Corinthians 5

1 We know that the earthly tent we live in will be destroyed. But we have a building made by God. It is a house in heaven that lasts forever. Human hands did not build it.

2 During our time on earth we groan. We long to put on our house in heaven as if it were clothing.

3 Then we will not be naked.

4 While we live in this tent of ours, we groan under our heavy load. We don't want to be naked. We want to be dressed with our house in heaven. What must die will be swallowed up by life.

5 God has made us for that very purpose. He has given us the Holy Spirit as a down payment. The Spirit makes us sure of what is still to come.

6 So here is what we can always be certain about. As long as we are at home in our bodies, we are away from the Lord.

7 We live by believing, not by seeing.

8 We are certain about that. We would rather be away from our bodies and at home with the Lord.

9 So we try our best to please him. We want to please him whether we are at home in our bodies or away from them.

10 We must all stand in front of Christ to be judged. Each one of us will be judged for the good things and the bad things we do while we are in our bodies. Then each of us will receive what we are supposed to get.

11 We know what it means to have respect for the Lord. So we try to help other people to understand it. What we are is plain to God. I hope it is also plain to your way of thinking.

12 We are not trying to make an appeal to you again. But we are giving you a chance to take pride in us. Then you can answer those who take pride in how people look rather than in what is really in their hearts.

13 Are we out of our minds? That is because we want to serve God. Does what we say make sense? That is because we want to serve you.

14 Christ's love controls us. We are sure that one person died for everyone. And so everyone died.

15 Christ died for everyone. He died so that those who live should not live for themselves anymore. They should live for Christ. He died for them and was raised again.

16 So from now on we don't look at anyone the way the world does. At one time we looked at Christ in that way. But we don't anymore.

17 Anyone who believes in Christ is a new creation. The old is gone! The new has come!

18 It is all from God. He brought us back to himself through Christ's death on the cross. And he has given us the task of bringing others back to him through Christ.

19 God was bringing the world back to himself through Christ. He did not hold people's sins against them. God has trusted us with the message that people may be brought back to him.

20 So we are Christ's official messengers. It is as if God were making his appeal through us. Here is what Christ wants us to beg you to do. Come back to God!

21 Christ didn't have any sin. But God made him become sin for us. So we can be made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

2 Corinthians 6

1 We work together with God. So we are asking you not to receive God's grace and then do nothing with it.

2 He says, "When I showed you my favor, I heard you. On the day I saved you, I helped you." (Isaiah 49:8) I tell you, now is the time God shows his favor. Now is the day he saves.

3 We don't put anything in anyone's way. So no one can find fault with our work for God.

4 Instead, we make it clear that we serve God in every way. We serve him by holding steady. We stand firm in all kinds of trouble, hard times and suffering.

5 We don't give up when we are beaten or put in prison. When people stir up trouble in the streets, we continue to serve God. We work hard for him. We go without sleep and food.

6 We remain pure. We understand completely what it means to serve God. We are patient and kind. We serve him in the power of the Holy Spirit. We serve him with true love.

7 We speak the truth. We serve in the power of God. We hold the weapons of godliness in the right hand and in the left.

8 We serve God in times of glory and shame. We serve him whether the news about us is bad or good. We are true to our calling. But people treat us as if we were pretenders.

9 We are known, but people treat us as if we were unknown. We are dying, but we continue to live. We are beaten, but we are not killed.

10 We are sad, but we are always full of joy. We are poor, but we make many people rich. We have nothing, but we own everything.

11 Believers at Corinth, we have spoken freely to you. We have opened our hearts wide to you.

12 We are not holding back our love from you. But you are holding back your love from us.

13 I speak to you as if you were my children. It is only fair that you open your hearts wide to us also.

14 Do not be joined to unbelievers. What do right and wrong have in common? Can light and darkness be friends?

15 How can Christ and Satan agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

16 How can the temple of the true God and the statues of other gods agree? We are the temple of the living God. God has said, "I will live with them. I will walk among them. I will be their God. And they will be my people."(Leviticus 26:12; Jeremiah 32:38; Ezekiel 37:27)

17 "So come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch anything that is not pure and clean. Then I will receive you." (Isaiah 52:11; Ezekiel 20:34,41)

18 "I will be your Father. You will be my sons and daughters,says the Lord who rules over all." (2 Samuel 7:14; 7:8)

2 Corinthians 7

1 Dear friends, we have these promises from God. So let us make ourselves pure from everything that pollutes our bodies and spirits. Let us be completely holy. We want to honor God.

2 Make room for us in your hearts. We haven't done anything wrong to anyone. We haven't caused anyone to sin. We haven't taken advantage of anyone.

3 I don't say this to judge you. I have told you before that you have an important place in our hearts. We would live or die with you.

4 I have great faith in you. I am very proud of you. I am very happy. Even with all our troubles, my joy has no limit.

5 When I came to Macedonia, my body wasn't able to rest. I was attacked no matter where I went. I had battles on the outside and fears on the inside.

6 But God comforts those who are sad. He comforted me when Titus came.

7 I was comforted not only when he came but also by the comfort you had given him. He told me how much you longed for me. He told me about your deep sadness and concern for me. That made my joy greater than ever.

8 Even if my letter made you sad, I'm not sorry I sent it. At first I was sorry. I see that my letter hurt you, but only for a little while.

9 Now I am happy. I'm not happy because you were made sad. I'm happy because your sadness led you to turn away from your sins. You became sad just as God wanted you to. So you were not hurt in any way by us.

10 Godly sadness causes us to turn away from our sins and be saved. And we are certainly not sorry about that! But worldly sadness brings death.

11 Look at what that godly sadness has produced in you. You are working hard to clear yourselves. You are angry and alarmed. You are longing to see me. You are concerned. You are ready to make sure that the right thing is done. In every way you have proved that you are not guilty in that matter.

12 So even though I wrote to you, it wasn't because of the one who did the wrong. It wasn't because of the one who was hurt. Instead, I wrote you so that in the sight of God you could see for yourselves how faithful you are to us.

13 All of that cheers us up. We were also very glad to see how happy Titus was. You have all renewed his spirit.

14 I had bragged about you to him. And you have not let me down. Everything we said to you was true. In the same way, our bragging about you to Titus has also turned out to be true.

15 His love for you is even greater when he remembers that you all obeyed his teaching. You received him with fear and trembling.

16 I am glad I can have complete faith in you.

2 Corinthians 8

1 Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given to the churches in Macedonia.

2 They have suffered a great deal. But their joy was more than full. Even though they were very poor, they gave very freely.

3 I give witness that they gave as much as they could. In fact, they gave even more than they could. Completely on their own,

4 they begged us for the chance to share in serving God's people in that way.

5 They did more than we expected. First they gave themselves to the Lord. Then they gave themselves to us in keeping with what God wanted.

6 Titus had already started collecting money from you. So we asked him to get you to finish making your kind gift.

7 You do well in everything else. You do well in faith and in speaking. You do well in knowledge and in complete commitment. And you do well in your love for us. So make sure that you also do well in the grace of giving to others.

8 I am not commanding you to do it. But I want to put you to the test. I want to find out if you really love God. I want to compare your love with that of others.

9 You know the grace shown by our Lord Jesus Christ. Even though he was rich, he became poor to help you. Because he became poor, you can become rich.

10 Here is my advice about what is best for you in that matter. Last year you were the first to give. You were also the first to want to give.

11 So finish the work. Then your longing to do it will be matched by your finishing it. Give on the basis of what you have.

12 Do you really want to give? Then the gift is received in keeping with what you have, not with what you don't have.

13 We don't want others to have it easy at your expense. We want things to be equal.

14 Right now you have plenty in order to take care of what they need. Then they will have plenty to take care of what you need. That will make things equal.

15 It is written, "Those who gathered a lot didn't have too much. And those who gathered a little had enough."(Exodus 16:18)

16 God put into the heart of Titus the same concern I have for you. I am thankful to God for this.

17 Titus welcomed our appeal. He is also excited about coming to you. It was his own idea.

18 Along with Titus, we are sending another brother. All the churches praise him for his service in telling the good news.

19 He was also chosen by the churches to go with us as we bring the offering. We are in charge of it. We want to honor the Lord himself. We want to show how ready we are to help.

20 We want to keep anyone from blaming us for how we take care of that large gift.

21 We are trying hard to do what is right in the Lord's eyes and in the eyes of people.

22 We are also sending another one of our brothers with them. He has often proved to us in many ways that he is very committed. He is now even more committed because he has great faith in you.

23 Titus is my helper. He and I work together among you. Our brothers are messengers from the churches. They honor Christ.

24 So show them that you really love them. Show them why we are proud of you. Then the churches can see it.

2 Corinthians 9

1 I don't need to write to you about giving to God's people.

2 I know how much you want to help. I have been bragging about it to the people in Macedonia. I have been telling them that since last year you who live in Achaia were ready to give. You are so excited that it has stirred up most of them to take action.

3 But I am sending the brothers. Then our bragging about you in this matter will have a good reason. You will be ready, just as I said you would be.

4 Suppose people from Macedonia come with me and find out that you are not prepared. Then we, as well as you, would be ashamed of being so certain.

5 So I thought I should try to get the brothers to visit you ahead of time. They will finish the plans for the large gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a gift that is freely given. It will not be given by force.

6 Here is something to remember. The one who plants only a little will gather only a little. And the one who plants a lot will gather a lot.

7 You should each give what you have decided in your heart to give. You shouldn't give if you don't want to. You shouldn't give because you are forced to. God loves a cheerful giver.

8 And God is able to shower all kinds of blessings on you. In all things and at all times you will have everything you need. You will do more and more good works.

9 It is written, "They have spread their gifts around to poor people. Their good works continue forever." (Psalm 112:9)

10 God supplies seed to the planter. He supplies bread for food. God will also supply and increase the amount of your seed. He will increase the results of your good works.

11 You will be made rich in every way. Then you can always give freely. We will take your many gifts to the people who need them. And they will give thanks to God.

12 Your gifts meet the needs of God's people. And that's not all. Your gifts also cause many people to thank God.

13 You have shown yourselves to be worthy by what you have given. So people will praise God because you obey him. That proves that you really believe the good news about Christ. They will also praise God because you share freely with them and with everyone else.

14 Their hearts will be filled with longing for you when they pray for you. God has given you grace that is better than anything.

15 Let us give thanks to God for his gift. It is so great that no one can tell how wonderful it really is!

2 Corinthians 10

1 Christ is gentle and free of pride. So I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call shy when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you call me bold.

2 I beg you that when I come I won't have to be as bold as I expect to be toward some people. They think that I live the way the people of this world live.

3 I do live in the world. But I don't fight my battles the way the people of the world do.

4 The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy.

5 I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ.

6 Until you have obeyed completely, I will be ready to punish you every time you don't obey.

7 You are looking only at what appears on the surface of things. Suppose you are sure you belong to Christ. Then you should consider again that I belong to Christ just as much as you do.

8 Do I brag too much about the authority the Lord gave me? If I do, it's because I want to build you up, not pull you down. And I'm not ashamed of that kind of bragging.

9 Don't think that I'm trying to scare you with my letters.

10 Some say, "His letters sound important. They are powerful. But in person he doesn't seem like much. And what he says doesn't amount to anything."

11 People like that have a lot to learn. What I say in my letters when I'm away from you, I will do in my actions when I'm with you.

12 I don't dare to compare myself with those who praise themselves. I'm not that kind of person. They measure themselves by themselves. They compare themselves with themselves. When they do that, they are not wise.

13 But I won't brag more than I should. Instead, I will brag only about what I have done in the area God has given me. It is an area that reaches all the way to you.

14 I am not going too far in my bragging. I would be going too far if I hadn't come to where you live. But I did get there with the good news about Christ.

15 And I won't brag about work done by others. If I did, I would be bragging more than I should. As your faith continues to grow, I hope that my work among you will greatly increase.

16 Then I will be able to preach the good news in the areas beyond you. I don't want to brag about work already done in someone else's territory.

17 But, "The one who brags should brag about what the Lord has done."(Jeremiah 9:24)

18 Those who praise themselves are not accepted. Those the Lord praises are accepted.

2 Corinthians 11

1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolish bragging. But you are already doing that.

2 My jealousy for you comes from God himself. I promised to give you to only one husband. That husband is Christ. I wanted to be able to give you to him as if you were a pure virgin.

3 But Eve was tricked by the snake's clever lies. And I'm afraid that in the same way your minds will somehow be led down the wrong path. They will be led away from your true and pure love for Christ.

4 Suppose someone comes to you and preaches about a Jesus different from the Jesus we preached about. Or suppose you receive a spirit different from the one you received before. Or suppose you receive a message of good news different from the one you accepted earlier. You put up with those kinds of things easily enough.

5 But I don't think I'm in any way less important than those "super-apostles."

6 I may not be a trained speaker. But I do have knowledge. I've made that very clear to you in every way.

7 When I preached God's good news to you free of charge, I put myself down in order to lift you up. Was that a sin?

8 Did I rob other churches when I received help from them so that I could serve you?

9 When I was with you and needed something, I didn't cause you any expense. The believers who came from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I haven't caused you any expense at all. And I won't ever do it.

10 I'm sure that the truth of Christ is in me. And I'm just as sure that nobody in Achaia will keep me from bragging.

11 Why? Because I don't love you? No! God knows I do!

12 And I will keep on doing what I'm doing. That will stop those who claim they have things to brag about. They think they have a chance to be considered equal with us.

13 People like that are false apostles. They work hard to trick others. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ.

14 That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light.

15 So it doesn't surprise us that those who serve Satan pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they should.

16 I will say it again. Don't let anyone think I'm a fool. But if you do, receive me just as you would receive a fool. Then I can do a little bragging.

17 When I brag about myself like this, I'm not talking the way the Lord would. I'm talking like a fool.

18 Many are bragging the way the people of the world do. So I will brag like that too.

19 You are so wise! You gladly put up with fools!

20 In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you. You put up with those who take advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you. You put up with those who slap you in the face.

21 I'm ashamed to have to say that I was too weak for that! What anyone else dares to brag about, I also dare to brag about. I'm speaking like a fool!

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham's children? So am I.

23 Are they serving Christ? I am serving him even more. I'm out of my mind to talk like this! I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I almost died.

24 Five times the Jews gave me 39 strokes with a whip.

25 Three times I was beaten with sticks. Once they tried to kill me by throwing stones at me. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

26 I have had to keep on the move. I have been in danger from rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from people from my own country. I have been in danger from those who aren't Jews. I have been in danger in the city, in the country, and at sea. I have been in danger from people who pretended they were believers.

27 I have worked very hard. Often I have gone without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Often I have gone without food. I have been cold and naked.

28 Besides everything else, every day I am concerned about all the churches. It is a very heavy load.

29 If anyone is weak, I feel weak. If anyone is led into sin, I burn on the inside.

30 If I have to brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am.

31 I am not lying. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows this. May God be praised forever.

32 In Damascus the governor who served under King Aretas had their city guarded. He wanted to arrest me.

33 But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall. So I slipped through the governor's hands.

2 Corinthians 12

1 We can't gain anything by bragging. But I have to do it anyway. I am going to tell you what I've seen. I want to talk about what the Lord has shown me.

2 I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don't know if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows.

3 I don't know if that man was in his body or out of it. Only God knows. But I do know that

4 he was taken up to paradise. He heard things that couldn't be put into words. They were things that people aren't allowed to talk about.

5 I will brag about a man like that. But I won't brag about myself. I will brag only about how weak I am.

6 Suppose I decide to brag. That would not make me a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I don't do it. Then no one will think more of me than he should because of what I do or say.

7 I could have become proud of myself because of the amazing and wonderful things God has shown me. So I was given a problem that caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer.

8 Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me.

9 But he said to me, "My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak." So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ's power can rest on me.

10 Because of how I suffered for Christ, I'm glad that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong.

11 I have made a fool of myself. But you made me do it. You should have praised me. Even though I am nothing, I am in no way less important than the "super-apostles."

12 You can recognize apostles by the signs, wonders and miracles they do. Those things were faithfully done among you no matter what happened.

13 How were you less important than the other churches? The only difference was that I didn't cause you any expense. Forgive me for that wrong!

14 Now I am ready to visit you for the third time. I won't cause you any expense. I don't want what you have. What I really want is you. After all, children shouldn't have to save up for their parents. Parents should save up for their children.

15 So I will be very happy to spend everything I have for you. I will even spend myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?

16 In any case, I haven't caused you any expense. But I'm such a tricky fellow! I have caught you by tricking you!

17 Did I take advantage of you through any of the men I sent to you?

18 I asked Titus to go to you. And I sent our brother with him. Titus didn't take advantage of you, did he? Didn't I act in the same spirit? Didn't I follow the same path?

19 All this time, have you been thinking that I've been speaking up for myself? No, I've been speaking with God as my witness. I've been speaking like a believer in Christ. Dear friends, everything I do is to help you become stronger.

20 I'm afraid that when I come I won't find you as I want you to be. I'm afraid that you won't find me as you want me to be. I'm afraid there will be arguing, jealousy and fits of anger. I'm afraid you will separate into your own little groups. Then you will tell lies about each other. You will talk about each other. I'm afraid you will be proud and cause trouble.

21 I'm afraid that when I come again my God will put me to shame in front of you. Then I will be sad about many who sinned earlier and have not turned away from it. They have not turned away from uncleanness, sexual sins and wild living. They have done all those things.

2 Corinthians 13

1 This will be my third visit to you. Scripture says, "Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses."(Deuteronomy 19:15)

2 I already warned you during my second visit. I now say it again while I'm away. When I return, I won't spare those who sinned earlier. I won't spare any of the others either.

3 You are asking me to prove that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you. He is powerful among you.

4 It is true that Christ was nailed to the cross because he was weak. But he lives by God's power. In the same way, I share his weakness. But by God's power I will live with him to serve you.

5 Take a good look at yourselves to see if you are really believers. Test yourselves. Don't you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test!

6 I hope you will discover that I haven't failed the test.

7 I pray to God that you won't do anything wrong. I don't pray so that people will see that I have passed the test. Instead, I pray so that you will do what is right, even if it seems I have failed.

8 I can't do anything to stop the truth. I can only work for the truth.

9 I'm glad when I am weak but you are strong. I pray that you will become perfect.

10 That's why I write these things before I come to you. Then when I do come, I won't have to be hard on you when I use my authority. The Lord gave me the authority to build you up. He didn't give it to me to tear you down.

11 Finally, brothers and sisters, good-by. Try to be perfect. Pay attention to what I'm saying. Agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you.

12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.

13 All of God's people send their greetings.

14 May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love that God has given us, and the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all.