New International Version NIV
GOD'S WORD Translation GW
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:
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From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and from Timothy our brother. To God's church in the city of Corinth and to all God's holy people everywhere in Greece.
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Good will and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ are yours!
3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
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Praise the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who is compassionate and the God who gives comfort.
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
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He comforts us whenever we suffer. That is why whenever other people suffer, we are able to comfort them by using the same comfort we have received from God.
5 For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.
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Because Christ suffered so much for us, we can receive so much comfort from him.
6 If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer.
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Besides, if we suffer, it brings you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, we can effectively comfort you when you endure the same sufferings that we endure.
7 And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.
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We have confidence in you. We know that as you share our sufferings, you also share our comfort.
8 We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself.
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Brothers and sisters, we don't want you to be ignorant about the suffering we experienced in the province of Asia. It was so extreme that it was beyond our ability to endure. We even wondered if we could go on living.
9 Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead.
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In fact, we still feel as if we're under a death sentence. But we suffered so that we would stop trusting ourselves and learn to trust God, who brings the dead back to life.
10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us,
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He has rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us in the future. We are confident that he will continue to rescue us,
11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.
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since you are also joining to help us when you pray for us. Then many people will thank God for the favor he will show us because many people prayed for us.
12 Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace.
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We are proud that our conscience is clear. We are proud of the way that we have lived in this world. We have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity, especially toward you. It was not by human wisdom that we have lived but by God's kindness.
13 For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that,
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We are only writing you what you already knew before you read this. I hope you will understand this as long as you live,
14 as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
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even though you now understand it only partially. We are your reason to be proud, as you will be our reason to be proud on the day of our Lord Jesus.
15 Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice.
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Confident of this, I had previously wanted to visit you so that you could benefit twice.
16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea.
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My plans had been to go from the city of Corinth to the province of Macedonia. Then from Macedonia I had planned to return to you again in Corinth and have you support my trip to Judea.
17 Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both “Yes, yes” and “No, no”?
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You don't think that I made these plans lightly, do you? Do you think that when I make plans, I make them in a sinful way? Why would I say that something is true when it isn't?
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.”
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You can depend on God. Our message to you isn't false; it's true.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silas and Timothy—was not “Yes” and “No,” but in him it has always been “Yes.”
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God's Son, Jesus Christ, whom I, Silvanus, and Timothy told you about, was true not false. Because of him our message was always true.
20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.
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Certainly, Christ made God's many promises come true. For that reason, because of our message, people also honor God by saying, "Amen!"
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
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God establishes us, together with you, in a relationship with Christ. He has also anointed us.
22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
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In addition, he has put his seal [of ownership] on us and has given us the Spirit as his guarantee.
23 I call God as my witness—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
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I appeal to God as a witness on my behalf, that I stayed away from Corinth because I wanted to spare you.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.
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It isn't that we want to have control over your Christian faith. Rather, we want to work with you so that you will be happy. Certainly, you are firmly established in the Christian faith.
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GOD'S WORD® is a copyrighted work of God's Word to the Nations. Copyright © 1995 by God's Word to the Nations. All rights reserved. Used by permission.