CEB 1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our brother. To God's church that is in Corinth, along with all of God's people throughout Achaia. NRS 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia: CEB 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ. NRS 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. CEB 3 May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ be blessed! He is the compassionate Father and God of all comfort. NRS 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, CEB 4 He's the one who comforts us in all our trouble so that we can comfort other people who are in every kind of trouble. We offer the same comfort that we ourselves received from God. NRS 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. CEB 5 That is because we receive so much comfort through Christ in the same way that we share so many of Christ's sufferings. NRS 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. CEB 6 So if we have trouble, it is to bring you comfort and salvation. If we are comforted, it is to bring you comfort from the experience of endurance while you go through the same sufferings that we also suffer. NRS 6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. CEB 7 Our hope for you is certain, because we know that as you are partners in suffering, so also you are partners in comfort. NRS 7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation. CEB 8 Brothers and sisters, we don't want you to be unaware of the troubles that we went through in Asia. We were weighed down with a load of suffering that was so far beyond our strength that we were afraid we might not survive. NRS 8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. CEB 9 It certainly seemed to us as if we had gotten the death penalty. This was so that we would have confidence in God, who raises the dead, instead of ourselves. NRS 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. CEB 10 God rescued us from a terrible death, and he will rescue us. We have set our hope on him that he will rescue us again, NRS 10 He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, CEB 11 since you are helping with your prayer for us. Then many people can thank God on our behalf for the gift that was given to us through the prayers of many people. NRS 11 as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. CEB 12 We have conducted ourselves with godly sincerity and pure motives in the world, and especially toward you. This is why we are confident, and our conscience confirms this. We didn't act with human wisdom but we relied on the grace of God. NRS 12 Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God—and all the more toward you. CEB 13 We don't write anything to you except what you can read and also understand. I hope that you will understand totally NRS 13 For we write you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end— CEB 14 since you have already understood us partly. Understand that in the day of our Lord Jesus, we will make you proud as you will also make us proud. NRS 14 as you have already understood us in part—that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast. CEB 15 Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you could have a second opportunity to see me. NRS 15 Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favor; CEB 16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then come to you again on my way back from Macedonia, at which point I was hoping you would help me on my way to Judea. NRS 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 to Judea. CEB 17 So I wasn't unreliable when I planned to do this, was I? Or do I make decisions with a substandard human process so that I say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? NRS 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? CEB 18 But as God is faithful, our message to you isn't both yes and no. NRS 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes and No." CEB 19 God's Son, Jesus Christ, is the one who was preached among you by us—through me, Silvanus, and Timothy—he wasn't yes and no. In him it is always yes. NRS 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." CEB 20 All of God's promises have their yes in him. That is why we say Amen through him to the glory of God. NRS 20 For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes." For this reason it is through him that we say the "Amen," to the glory of God. CEB 21 God is the one who establishes us with you in Christ and who anointed us. NRS 21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, CEB 22 God also sealed us and gave the Spirit as a down payment in our hearts. NRS 22 by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment. CEB 23 I call on God as my witness—I didn't come again to Corinth because I wanted to spare you. NRS 23 But I call on God as witness against me: it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. CEB 24 It isn't that we are trying to control your faith, but we are working with you for your happiness, because you stand firm in your faith. NRS 24 I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith.
NRS 1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God that is in Corinth, including all the saints throughout Achaia: NRS 2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. NRS 3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all consolation, NRS 4 who consoles us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to console those who are in any affliction with the consolation with which we ourselves are consoled by God. NRS 5 For just as the sufferings of Christ are abundant for us, so also our consolation is abundant through Christ. NRS 6 If we are being afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation; if we are being consoled, it is for your consolation, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we are also suffering. NRS 7 Our hope for you is unshaken; for we know that as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our consolation. NRS 8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of the affliction we experienced in Asia; for we were so utterly, unbearably crushed that we despaired of life itself. NRS 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death so that we would rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. NRS 10 He who rescued us from so deadly a peril will continue to rescue us; on him we have set our hope that he will rescue us again, NRS 11 as you also join in helping us by your prayers, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many. NRS 12 Indeed, this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience: we have behaved in the world with frankness and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God—and all the more toward you. NRS 13 For we write you nothing other than what you can read and also understand; I hope you will understand until the end— NRS 14 as you have already understood us in part—that on the day of the Lord Jesus we are your boast even as you are our boast. NRS 15 Since I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a double favor; NRS 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 to Judea. NRS 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans according to ordinary human standards, ready to say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? NRS 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been "Yes and No." NRS 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." NRS 20 For in him every one of God's promises is a "Yes." For this reason it is through him that we say the "Amen," to the glory of God. NRS 21 But it is God who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us, NRS 22 by putting his seal on us and giving us his Spirit in our hearts as a first installment. NRS 23 But I call on God as witness against me: it was to spare you that I did not come again to Corinth. NRS 24 I do not mean to imply that we lord it over your faith; rather, we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in the faith.