| English Standard Version | Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Paul, 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: | 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, and Timothy our brother: To the church of God at Corinth, with all the saints who are throughout Achaia. |
| 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. | 2Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. |
| 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, | 3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort. |
| 4who 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. | 4He comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. |
| 5For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too. | 5For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. |
| 6If 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. | 6If we are afflicted, 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 that we suffer. |
| 7Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort. | 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that as you share in the sufferings, so you will also share in the comfort. |
| 8For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. | 8We don't want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed--beyond our strength--so that we even despaired of life itself. |
| 9Indeed, 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. | 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. |
| 10He 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. | 10He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again |
| 11You 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. | 11while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many. |
| 12For 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. | 12Indeed, this is our boast: The testimony of our conscience is that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with godly sincerity and purity, not by human wisdom but by God's grace. |
| 13For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— | 13For we are writing nothing to you other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely-- |
| 14just as you did partially understand us—that on the day of our Lord Jesus you will boast of us as we will boast of you. | 14just as you have partially understood us--that we are your reason for pride, just as you also are ours in the day of our Lord Jesus. |
| 15Because I was sure of this, I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second experience of grace. | 15Because of this confidence, I planned to come to you first, so that you could have a second benefit, |
| 16I 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. | 16and to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and then come to you again from Macedonia and be helped by you on my journey to Judea. |
| 17Was 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? | 17Now when I planned this, was I of two minds? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human way so that I say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" at the same time? |
| 18As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. | 18As God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes and no." |
| 19For 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. | 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you--Silvanus, Timothy, and I--did not become "Yes and no." On the contrary, in him it is always "Yes." |
| 20For 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. | 20For every one of God's promises is "Yes" in him. Therefore, through him we also say "Amen" to the glory of God. |
| 21And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, | 21Now it is God who strengthens us together with you in Christ, and who has anointed us. |
| 22and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee. | 22He has also put his seal on us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a down payment. |
| 23But I call God to witness against me—it was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. | 23I call on God as a witness, on my life, that it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth. |
| 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm in your faith. | 24I do not mean that we lord it over your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand firm in your faith. |
| ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved. | The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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