2 Corinthians 1
God of All Comfort
1Paul, aan apostle of bChrist Jesus cby the will of God, and dTimothy our brother, To ethe church of God which is at fCorinth with all the 1saints who are throughout Achaia:
2aGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
3aBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and bGod of all comfort, 4who acomforts us in all our affliction so that we will be able to comfort those who are in 1any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5For just aas the sufferings of Christ abound to us, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6But whether we are afflicted, it is afor your comfort and salvation; or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is working in your perseverance in the same sufferings which we also suffer. 7And our hope for you is firmly grounded, knowing that aas you are sharers of our sufferings, so also you are sharers of our comfort.
8For awe do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of our baffliction which came to us in 1,cAsia, that we were burdened excessively, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even to live. 91Indeed, we had the sentence of death within ourselves so that we would not have confidence in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead; 10who arescued us from so great a peril of death, and will rescue us, 1He bon whom we have set our hope. And He will yet rescue us, 11you also joining in ahelping us through your prayers on our behalf, so that thanks may be given on our behalf by bmany persons for the gracious gift bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
Paul’s Change of Plans
12For our boasting is this: the testimony of aour conscience, that in 1holiness and bgodly sincerity, cnot in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you. 13For we write nothing else to you than what you read and understand, and I hope you will understand auntil the end, 14just as you also partially did understand us, that we are your reason for boasting as you also are ours, in athe day of our Lord Jesus.
15And in this confidence I intended at first to acome to you, so that you might receive 1,bgrace twice; 161that is, to apass 2your way into bMacedonia, and again from Macedonia to come to you, and by you to be chelped on my journey to Judea. 17Therefore, was I vacillating when I intended to do this? 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? 18But as aGod is faithful, bour word to you is not yes and no. 19For athe Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and bSilvanus and cTimothy—was not yes and no, but has become yes din Him. 20For 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. 21Now He who aestablishes us with you in Christ and banointed us is God, 22who also asealed us and bgave the 1pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.