1 Paul, aan apostle of bChrist Jesus cby the will of God, and dTimothy our brother, 2 aGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and bGod of all comfort, 4 who acomforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For just aas the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. 6 But if we are afflicted, it is afor your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer; 7 and our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that aas you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort. 8 For awe do not want you to be unaware, brethren, of our baffliction which came to us in cAsia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life; 9 indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10 who adelivered us from so great a peril of death, and will deliver us, He bon whom we have set our hope. And He will yet deliver us, 11 you also joining in ahelping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by bmany persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many. 12 For our proud confidence is this: the testimony of aour conscience, that in holiness and bgodly sincerity, cnot in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13 For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand auntil the end; 14 just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason to be proud as you also are ours, in athe day of our Lord Jesus. 15 In this confidence I intended at first to acome to you, so that you might twice receive a bblessing; 16 that is, to apass your way into bMacedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be chelped on my journey to Judea. 17 Therefore, I was not vacillating when I intended to do this, was I? Or what I purpose, do I purpose aaccording to the flesh, so that with me there will be yes, yes and no, no at the same time? 18 But as aGod is faithful, bour word to you is not yes and no. 19 For athe Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us--by me and bSilvanus and cTimothy--was not yes and no, but is yes din Him. 20 For aas many as are the promises of God, bin Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is cour Amen to the glory of God through us. 21 Now He who aestablishes us with you in Christ and banointed us is God, 22 who also asealed us and bgave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. 23 But aI call God as witness to my soul, that bto spare you I did not come again to cCorinth. 24 Not that we alord it over your faith, but are workers with you for your joy; for in your faith you are bstanding firm.