2 Corinthians · Majority Standard Bible
2 Corinthians 1 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the church of God in Corinth, together with all the saints throughout Achaia:
1 Παῦλος, ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ, καὶ Τιμόθεος ὁ ἀδελφός, τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῇ οὔσῃ ἐν Κορίνθῳ σὺν τοῖς ἁγίοις πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσιν ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ Ἀχαΐᾳ·
2 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
2 χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,
3 Εὐλογητὸς ὁ Θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῶν οἰκτιρμῶν καὶ Θεὸς πάσης παρακλήσεως,
4 who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God.
4 ὁ παρακαλῶν ἡμᾶς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ θλίψει ἡμῶν, εἰς τὸ δύνασθαι ἡμᾶς παρακαλεῖν τοὺς ἐν πάσῃ θλίψει διὰ τῆς παρακλήσεως ἧς παρακαλούμεθα αὐτοὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ·
5 For just as the sufferings of Christ overflow to us, so also through Christ our comfort overflows.
5 ὅτι καθὼς περισσεύει τὰ παθήματα τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς, οὕτω διὰ Χριστοῦ περισσεύει καὶ ἡ παράκλησις ἡμῶν.
6 If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation, which accomplishes in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we experience.
6 εἴτε δὲ θλιβόμεθα, ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν παρακλήσεως καὶ σωτηρίας τῆς ἐνεργουμένης ἐν ὑπομονῇ τῶν αὐτῶν παθημάτων ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς πάσχομεν, καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν βεβαία ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν·
7 And our hope for you is sure; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort and salvation, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you will share in our comfort.
7 εἴτε παρακαλούμεθα, ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν παρακλήσεως καὶ σωτηρίας, εἰδότες ὅτι ὥσπερ κοινωνοί ἐστε τῶν παθημάτων, οὕτω καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως.
8 We do not want you to be unaware, brothers, of the hardships we encountered in the province of Asia. We were under a burden far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life.
8 Οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν τῆς γενομένης ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν ἐβαρήθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν·
9 Indeed, we felt we were under the sentence of death, in order that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God, who raises the dead.
9 ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ τῷ ἐγείροντι τοὺς νεκρούς·
10 He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and He continues to deliver us. In Him we have placed our hope that He will yet again deliver us,
10 ὃς ἐκ τηλικούτου θανάτου ἐρρύσατο ἡμᾶς καὶ ῥύεται, εἰς ὃν ἠλπίκαμεν ὅτι καὶ ἔτι ῥύσεται,
11 as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on your behalf for the favor shown us in answer to their prayers.
11 συνυπουργούντων καὶ ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῇ δεήσει, ἵνα ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν.
12 For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the integrity and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.
12 Ἡ γὰρ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁπλότητι καὶ εἰλικρινείᾳ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇ, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν χάριτι Θεοῦ ἀνεστράφημεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, περισσοτέρως δὲ πρὸς ὑμᾶς.
13 For we do not write you anything that is beyond your ability to read and understand. And I hope that you will understand us completely,
13 οὐ γὰρ ἄλλα γράφομεν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ ἃ ἀναγινώσκετε ἢ καὶ ἐπιγινώσκετε, ἐλπίζω δὲ ὅτι καὶ ἕως τέλους ἐπιγνώσεσθε,
14 as you have already understood us in part, that you may boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.
14 καθὼς καὶ ἐπέγνωτε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ μέρους, ὅτι καύχημα ὑμῶν ἐσμεν, καθάπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡμῶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ.
15 Confident of this, I planned to visit you first, so that you might receive a double blessing.
15 Καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πεποιθήσει ἐβουλόμην πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν πρότερον, ἵνα δευτέραν χάριν ἔχητε,
16 I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to return to you from Macedonia, and then to have you help me on my way to Judea.
16 καὶ δι᾽ ὑμῶν διελθεῖν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑφ᾽ ὑμῶν προπεμφθῆναι εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν.
17 When I planned this, did I do it carelessly? Or do I make my plans by human standards, so as to say “Yes, yes” and also “No, no”?
17 τοῦτο οὖν βουλόμενος μήτι ἄρα τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ ἐχρησάμην; ἢ ἃ βουλεύομαι, κατὰ σάρκα βουλεύομαι, ἵνα ᾖ παρ᾽ ἐμοὶ τὸ ναὶ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ;
18 But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you was not “Yes” and “No.”
18 πιστὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι ὁ λόγος ἡμῶν ὁ πρὸς ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἐγένετο ναὶ καὶ οὔ.
19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was proclaimed among you by me and Silvanus and Timothy, was not “Yes” and “No,” but in Him it has always been “Yes.”
19 ὁ γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ υἱὸς Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν δι᾽ ἡμῶν κηρυχθείς, δι᾽ ἐμοῦ καὶ Σιλουανοῦ καὶ Τιμοθέου, οὐκ ἐγένετο ναὶ καὶ οὔ, ἀλλὰ ναὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γέγονεν·
20 For all the promises of God are “Yes” in Christ. And so in Him, our “Amen” is spoken to the glory of God.
20 ὅσαι γὰρ ἐπαγγελίαι Θεοῦ, ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ναὶ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ἀμήν, τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς δόξαν δι᾽ ἡμῶν.
21 Now it is God who establishes both us and you in Christ. He anointed us,
21 ὁ δὲ βεβαιῶν ἡμᾶς σὺν ὑμῖν εἰς Χριστὸν καὶ χρίσας ἡμᾶς Θεός,
22 placed His seal on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a pledge of what is to come.
22 ὁ καὶ σφραγισάμενος ἡμᾶς καὶ δοὺς τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν.
23 I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.
23 Ἐγὼ δὲ μάρτυρα τὸν Θεὸν ἐπικαλοῦμαι ἐπὶ τὴν ἐμὴν ψυχήν, ὅτι φειδόμενος ὑμῶν οὐκέτι ἦλθον εἰς Κόρινθον.
24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we are fellow workers with you for your joy, because it is by faith that you stand firm.
24 οὐχ ὅτι κυριεύομεν ὑμῶν τῆς πίστεως, ἀλλὰ συνεργοί ἐσμεν τῆς χαρᾶς ὑμῶν· τῇ γὰρ πίστει ἑστήκατε.
People & places in this chapter
From this site's family tree and Bible maps, only where those guides cite this chapter.
Places
Corinth
Corinth straddled the isthmus linking mainland Greece to the Peloponnese — a hub of commerce and immorality. Paul founded the church here; a Roman bema traditionally linked to his hearing before…
Cited in the guide: Acts 18:1; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1
Cross references (24)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Timothy 1:1; Ephesians 1:1; Philippians 1:1; Titus 1:1; Colossians 1:1–2
- 2 Romans 1:7; Ephesians 6:23; Philippians 1:2; Philemon 3; 1 Thessalonians 1:1
- 3 Ephesians 1:3; 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 15:5–6; Psalm 86:5; Micah 7:18
- 4 1 Thessalonians 5:11; Isaiah 51:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17; 2 Corinthians 7:6–7; Isaiah 40:1
- 5 Colossians 1:24; Philippians 3:10; Philippians 1:20; 2 Thessalonians 2:16–17; 2 Corinthians 4:10–11
- 6 2 Timothy 2:10; 2 Corinthians 4:15–18; 2 Corinthians 1:4; Romans 8:28; Philippians 1:19
- 7 Romans 8:17–18; 2 Thessalonians 1:4–7; James 1:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:3–4; James 1:2–4
- 8 2 Corinthians 4:7–12; 1 Corinthians 4:8; 1 Corinthians 15:32; 1 Corinthians 16:9; Acts 19:23–35
- 9 2 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 4:7; Hebrews 11:19; 2 Corinthians 12:7–10; Romans 4:17–25
- 10 1 Timothy 4:10; 2 Peter 2:9; Psalm 34:19; 1 Samuel 17:37; Romans 15:31
- 11 Philippians 1:19; 2 Corinthians 4:15; Acts 12:5; Colossians 4:3; Hebrews 13:18
- 12 1 Corinthians 2:13; 2 Corinthians 2:17; James 3:13–18; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; Hebrews 13:18
- 13 Philemon 6; 2 Corinthians 4:2; 2 Corinthians 13:6; 2 Corinthians 5:11
- 14 1 Thessalonians 2:19–20; Philippians 2:16; 1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; Philippians 4:1
- 15 Romans 15:29; Romans 1:11; 1 Corinthians 4:19; 2 Corinthians 6:1; 1 Corinthians 11:34
- 16 1 Corinthians 16:5–7; Acts 19:21–22; Acts 21:5
- 17 Matthew 5:37; James 5:12; 2 Corinthians 10:2–3; 2 Corinthians 1:18–20; John 8:15
- 18 1 Corinthians 1:9; Revelation 3:7; Revelation 3:14; John 7:28; 2 Corinthians 11:31
- 19 Hebrews 13:8; Revelation 1:17; 2 John 9; Revelation 1:8; Revelation 2:18
- 20 1 John 2:24–25; Galatians 3:22; Revelation 7:12; Hebrews 13:8; Ephesians 1:6
- 21 1 John 2:27; 1 John 2:20; 1 Peter 5:10; Romans 8:9; Isaiah 61:1
- 22 Ephesians 4:30; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13–14; John 6:27; Romans 8:14–16
- 23 Galatians 1:20; 1 Corinthians 4:21; Romans 1:9; 2 Corinthians 13:10; 2 Corinthians 13:2
- 24 1 Peter 5:3; 1 Corinthians 15:1; 2 Timothy 2:24–26; Romans 5:2; Philippians 1:25–26
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
It is meet to enquire, first, why to the former Epistle he adds a second: and what can be his reason for thus beginning with the mercies and consolation of God. Why then does he add a second Epistle?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)
For it is no small fruit, O Lord my God, that by many thanks should be given to Thee on our behalf, and that by many Thou shouldest be entreated for us.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 1 (1886)
Wherefore Paul also said, "I would not, brethren, have you ignorant, that we were pressed out of measure beyond strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life;" and after this again, "Who delivered us from so great deaths." Signifying therefore hereby, that they ought to be confident, though the waves rise high, and that He orders all things for good, …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
Put off, by confession, the old man, which waxeth corrupt after the lusts of deceit, that ye may put on the new man, which is renewed according to knowledge of Him that created him. Get you the earnest of the Holy Spirit through faith, that ye may be able to be received into the everlasting habitations.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)
How then is it possible to conceive that the judgment is accomplished without the Holy Spirit, wherein the word points out that He is Himself the prize of the righteous, when instead of the earnest is given that which is perfect, and the first condemnation of sinners, when they are deprived of that which they seem to have?
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 8 (1895)