1 P aul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, through the will of God, and Timotheus the brother, to the assembly of God that is in Corinth, with all the saints who are in all Achaia:

This letter is from Paul. I have been chosen by God to be a missionary for Jesus Christ. Timothy is here with me and is writing to you also. We are writing to God’s church in the city of Corinth and to all of God’s people in the country of Greece.

2 G race to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ!

May you have loving-favor and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

3 B lessed God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of the mercies, and God of all comfort,

We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is our Father Who shows us loving-kindness and our God Who gives us comfort.

4 w ho is comforting us in all our tribulation, for our being able to comfort those in any tribulation through the comfort with which we are comforted ourselves by God;

He gives us comfort in all our troubles. Then we can comfort other people who have the same troubles. We give the same kind of comfort God gives us.

5 b ecause, as the sufferings of the Christ do abound to us, so through the Christ doth abound also our comfort;

As we have suffered much for Christ and have shared in His pain, we also share His great comfort.

6 a nd whether we be in tribulation, for your comfort and salvation, that is wrought in the enduring of the same sufferings that we also suffer; whether we are comforted, for your comfort and salvation;

But if we are in trouble, it is for your good. And it is so you will be saved from the punishment of sin. If God comforts us, it is for your good also. You too will be given strength not to give up when you have the same kind of trouble we have.

7 a nd our hope stedfast for you, knowing that even as ye are partakers of the sufferings -- so also of the comfort.

Our hope for you is the same all the time. We know you are sharing our troubles. And so you will share the comfort we receive.

8 F or we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, of our tribulation that happened to us in Asia, that we were exceedingly burdened above power, so that we despaired even of life;

We want you to know, Christian brothers, of the trouble we had in the countries of Asia. The load was so heavy we did not have the strength to keep going. At times we did not think we could live.

9 b ut we ourselves in ourselves the sentence of the death have had, that we may not be trusting on ourselves, but on God, who is raising the dead,

We thought we would die. This happened so we would not put our trust in ourselves, but in God Who raises the dead.

10 w ho out of so great a death did deliver us, and doth deliver, in whom we have hoped that even yet He will deliver;

Yes, God kept us from what looked like sure death and He is keeping us. As we trust Him, He will keep us in the future.

11 y e working together also for us by your supplication, that the gift through many persons to us, through many may be thankfully acknowledged for us.

You also help us by praying for us. Many people thank God for His favor to us. This is an answer to the prayers of many people. Paul Wants to Visit Corinth

12 F or our glorying is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and sincerity of God, not in fleshly wisdom, but in the grace of God, we did conduct ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you;

I am happy to say this. Whatever we did in this world, and for sure when we were with you, we were honest and had pure desires. We did not trust in human wisdom. Our power came from God’s loving-favor.

13 f or no other things do we write to you, but what ye either do read or also acknowledge, and I hope that also unto the end ye shall acknowledge,

We write to you only what we know you can understand. I hope you will understand everything.

14 a ccording as also ye did acknowledge us in part, that your glory we are, even as also ye ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus;

When the Lord Jesus comes again, you can be as proud of us as we will be proud of you. Right now you do not understand us real well.

15 a nd in this confidence I was purposing to come unto you before, that a second favour ye might have,

It was because of this, I wanted to visit you first. In that way, you would be helped two times.

16 a nd through you to pass to Macedonia, and again from Macedonia to come unto you, and by you to be sent forward to Judea.

I wanted to stop to visit you on my way to the country of Macedonia. I would stop again as I came from there. Then you could help me on my way to the country of Judea.

17 T his, therefore, counselling, did I then use the lightness; or the things that I counsel, according to the flesh do I counsel, that it may be with me Yes, yes, and No, no?

Yes, I changed my mind. Does that show that I change my mind a lot? Do I plan things as people of the world who say yes when they mean no? You know I am not like that!

18 a nd God faithful, that our word unto you became not Yes and No,

As God is true, my yes means yes. I am not the kind of person who says one thing and means another.

19 f or the Son of God, Jesus Christ, among you through us having been preached -- through me and Silvanus and Timotheus -- did not become Yes and No, but in him it hath become Yes;

Timothy and Silvanus and I have preached to you about Jesus Christ, the Son of God. In Him there is no yes and no. In Him is yes.

20 f or as many as promises of God, in him the Yes, and in him the Amen, for glory to God through us;

Jesus says yes to all of God’s many promises. It is through Jesus that we say, “Let it be so,” when we give thanks to God.

21 a nd He who is confirming you with us into Christ, and did anoint us, God,

God is the One Who makes our faith and your faith strong in Christ. He has set us apart for Himself.

22 w ho also sealed us, and gave the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

He has put His mark on us to show we belong to Him. His Spirit is in our hearts to prove this.

23 A nd I for a witness on God do call upon my soul, that sparing you, I came not yet to Corinth;

I call on God to look into my heart. The reason I did not come to the city of Corinth was because I did not want my strong words to hurt you.

24 n ot that we are lords over your faith, but we are workers together with your joy, for by the faith ye stand.

We are not the boss of your faith but we are working with you to make you happy. Your faith is strong.