15 I beseech you, brethren, (you know the house of Stephanas, that they are the first-fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints,) 16 that you submit yourselves to such, and to every one that works and labors with us.

17 I rejoice at the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus; for they have supplied what was wanting on your part: 18 for they have refreshed my spirit, and yours. Therefore, acknowledge such.

19 The churches of Asia salute you: Aquila and Priscilla, with the church that is in their house, send you many salutations in the Lord. 20 All the brethren salute you. Salute one another with a holy kiss.

21 The salutation of me, Paul, with my own hand. 22 If any one loves not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. The Lord comes.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen.

24 My

PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS.

I.

SECOND LETTER.

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AUL, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God, and Timothy my brother, to the church of God, which is in Corinth, with all the saints that are in all Achaia: grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

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3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who consoles us in all our afflictions, so that we are able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. For as the sufferings for the Christ abound in us, so also through Christ abounds our consolation. And if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which salvation is effected by your patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer; (and our hope in you is steadfast;) or if we are consoled, it is for your comfort and salvation; because we know, that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you shall be partakers of the comfort.

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For we do not wish you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which came upon us in Asia, that we were exceedingly oppressed, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. But we have in ourselves the sentence of death, that we may not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the

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dead; 10 who delivered us from so great a death, and does still deliver us in whom we have confidence, that he will continue to deliver us, "if you also unite in prayer for our aid, that the favor bestowed on us, through the intercession of many persons, may cause thanks to be given by many for us.

12 For the ground of our rejoicing is this: the testimony of our conscience that we have lived in the world-more abundantly, indeed, for you-in sincerity and godly purity, not in carnal wisdom, but in the grace of God. 13 For we write to you nothing else than what you recognize, or even acknowledge; and which I hope you will acknowledge to the end; 14 as some of you also acknowledge us, that we are the cause of your rejoicing, even as you, also, are of ours, in the day of the Lord Jesus.

15 And in this confidence I intended to go to you before, that you might have a second benefit; 16 and by you, to pass through into Macedonia, and to come again to you from Macedonia, and be conducted by you into Judea. 17 In forming this purpose, did I, therefore, behave with levity? or do I purpose what I purpose, according to the flesh, that there may be with me, yes yes, and no, no?

18 But God is true; for our preaching to you was not yes and no: 19 for the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached. among you by us, by me and Sylvanus and Timothy, was not yes and no, but in him was yes. 20 For whatever promises of God there are, are in him yes, and in him amen, to the glory of God by us. 21 For he who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, is God, 22 who has also set his seal upon us, and given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.

23 But I call on God as a witness against my soul, that wishing to spare you, I did not go to Corinth; 24 not that we are

lords over your faith, but fellow-workers for your joy for by faith you stand.

II. But I determined this in myself, that with sorrow I would not again come to you: 2 for if I cause you to grieve, who is he that makes me glad, but he that is made sorry by me? 3 And I wrote to you this very thing, that, on coming to you, I might not have sorrow from those from whom I ought to receive joy; because I have confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. For out of much affliction and distress of heart, I wrote to you with many tears: not that you might be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have more abundantly for you.

5 But if any one has caused grief, he has grieved, not me only, but, in some measure-not to speak harshly—all of you. Sufficient for such a one is the punishment, which was inflicted by the greater number: 7so that, on the other hand, you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest such a one should be swallowed up in too much sorrow. 8 Wherefore, I exhort you to give him an assurance of your love. For I wrote to you for this purpose also, that I might have a sure proof from you, whether you are obedient in all things. 10 Whom you forgive any thing, I forgive it also: for what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven any thing, I have forgiven for your sake, in the person of Christ, lest an advantage should be taken of us by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

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12 And when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of the Christ, and a door was opened to me in the Lord, 13 I had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but I took leave of them, and went into Macedonia.

14 Now, thanks be to God, who always causes us to triumph

in the Christ, and sheds in every place, by us, the fragrance of the knowledge of himself. 15 For, through God, we are a sweet odor of Christ, among the saved, and among the lost: 16 to the one, we are the order of death ending in death; to the other, the order of life ending in life: and who is sufficient for these things? For we do not, as the many, adulterate the word of God; but, as from sincerity, but, as from God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.

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III. Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some do, letters of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; you are well known to be a letter of Christ, written by us as his ministers, not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.

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Now, confidence such as this we have, through the Christ, toward God; not that we are able, of ourselves, to devise anything, as from ourselves; but our ability is from God, who has made us able ministers of the new covenant, not of letter, but of spirit for the letter kills, but the spirit makes alive. For if the ministering of death, by means of a covenant that was written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the sons of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses, on account of the glory of his face, which glory was to come to an end: how shall not the ministering of the spirit be more glorious? For if the ministering of condemnation be glory, much more does the ministering of righteousness surpass in glory. 10 For that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that surpasses. 11For if that which was to come to an end was glorious, much more that which is to remain is glorious.

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