English Standard Version ESV
New King James Version NKJV
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God which is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,
4 who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
4 who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.
5 For as we share abundantly in Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.
6 Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
7 And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.
8 For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.
9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead.
9 Yes, we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead,
10 He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again.
10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver us; in whom we trust that He will still deliver us,
11 You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
11 you also helping together in prayer for us, that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the gift granted to us through many.
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.
12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience that we conducted ourselves in the world in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom but by the grace of God, and more abundantly toward you.
13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and acknowledge and I hope you will fully acknowledge--
13 For we are not writing any other things to you than what you read or understand. Now I trust you will understand, even to the end
14 just as you did partially acknowledge us--that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you.
14 (as also you have understood us in part), that we are your boast as you also are ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.
15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace.
15 And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit--
16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea.
16 to pass by way of you to Macedonia, to come again from Macedonia to you, and be helped by you on my way to Judea.
17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to the flesh, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time?
17 Therefore, when I was planning this, did I do it lightly? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, Yes, and No, No?
18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No.
18 But as God is faithful, our word to you was not Yes and No.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us--by me, Silvanus, and Timothy--was not Yes and No, but in Him was Yes.
20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.
20 For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God,
22 and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
22 who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
23 But I call God to witness against me--it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.
23 Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith.
24 Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.