1I, Paul, am writing this letter. I am an apostle of Christ Jesus just as God planned. Timothy our brother joins me in writing.
We are sending this letter to you, the members of God’s church in Corinth. It is also for all God’s holy people everywhere in Achaia.
2May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace.
Praise to the God Who Gives Comfort
3Give praise to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He is the Father who gives tender love. All comfort comes from him. 4He comforts us in all our troubles. Now we can comfort others when they are in trouble. We ourselves receive comfort from God. 5We share very much in the sufferings of Christ. So we also share very much in his comfort. 6If we are having trouble, it is so that you will be comforted and renewed. If we are comforted, it is so that you will be comforted. Then you will be able to put up with the same suffering we have gone through. 7Our hope for you remains firm. We know that you suffer just as we do. In the same way, God comforts you just as he comforts us.
8Brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the hard times we had in Asia Minor. We were having a lot of trouble. It was far more than we could stand. We even thought we were going to die. 9In fact, we felt as if we were under the sentence of death. But that happened so that we would not depend on ourselves but on God. He raises the dead to life. 10God has saved us from deadly dangers. And he will continue to do it. We have put our hope in him. He will continue to save us. 11You must help us by praying for us. Then many people will give thanks because of what will happen to us. They will thank God for his kindness to us in answer to the prayers of many.
Paul Changes His Plans
12Here is what we take pride in. Our sense of what is right and wrong tells us how we have acted. We have lived with honor and godly honesty. We have depended on God’s grace and not on the world’s wisdom. We lived that way most of all when we were dealing with you. 13We are writing only what you can read and understand. And here is what I hope. 14Up to this point you have understood some of the things we have said. But now here is what I hope for when the Lord Jesus returns. I hope that your pride in us will be the same as our pride in you. When this happens, you will understand us completely.
15Because I was sure of this, I wanted to visit you first. Here is how I thought you would be helped twice. 16I planned to visit you on my way to Macedonia. I would have come back to you from there. Then you would have sent me on my way to Judea. 17When I planned all this, was I ready to change my mind for no good reason? No. I don’t make my plans the way the world makes theirs. In the same breath the world says both, “Yes! Yes!” and “No! No!”
18But just as sure as God is faithful, our message to you is not “Yes” and “No.” 19Silas, Timothy and I preached to you about the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Our message did not say “Yes” and “No” at the same time. The message of Christ has always been “Yes.” 20God has made a great many promises. They are all “Yes” because of what Christ has done. So through Christ we say “Amen.” We want God to receive glory. 21He makes both us and you remain strong in the faith because we belong to Christ. He anointed us. 22He put his Spirit in our hearts and marked us as his own. We can now be sure that he will give us everything he promised us.
23I call God to be my witness. May he take my life if I’m lying. I wanted to spare you, so I didn’t return to Corinth. 24Your faith is not under our control. You remain strong in your own faith. But we work together with you for your joy.
问候
1我是奉上帝旨意做基督耶稣使徒的保罗，与提摩太弟兄写信给在哥林多的上帝的教会以及亚该亚境内所有的圣徒。
2愿我们的父上帝和主耶稣基督赐给你们恩典和平安！
上帝的安慰
3我们主耶稣基督的父上帝当受赞美！祂是仁慈的父和赐一切安慰的上帝。 4我们遭遇任何患难，祂都安慰我们，使我们能够用祂给我们的安慰去安慰那些在各样患难中的人。 5正如我们多受基督所受的苦楚，也靠基督多得安慰。 6我们遭受患难，是为了使你们得到安慰和拯救；我们得到安慰，也是为了使你们得到安慰，以便你们能忍受像我们所遭遇的诸般苦难。 7我们对你们坚信不移，因为知道你们既和我们同受患难，也必和我们同得安慰。
8弟兄姊妹，希望你们知道我们在亚细亚所遭遇的苦难。那时我们承受极大的压力，超过了我们的极限，甚至连活命的指望都没了。 9我们心里觉得必死无疑，这使我们不倚靠自己，只倚靠使死人复活的上帝。 10祂曾救我们脱离死亡的威胁，将来还要救我们。我们深信祂必继续救我们。 11你们也要用祈祷帮助我们，使恩典借着许多人的祷告临到我们，众人便因此而为我们感恩。
保罗改变计划
12我们感到自豪的是：我们本着上帝所赐的圣洁和诚实为人处世，倚靠祂的恩典，不倚靠人的聪明才智，对待你们更是这样。这一点，我们的良心可以作证。 13-14我们不写任何你们读不懂、不明白的内容。你们现在对我们有几分认识，但我盼望你们最终完全认识到：当主耶稣再来的日子，你们将以我们为荣，正如我们将以你们为荣一样。
15我有这样的把握，所以早就计划去你们那里，使你们有两次蒙福的机会。 16我打算从你们那里去马其顿，再从马其顿回到你们那里，然后你们为我送行前往犹太。 17我定了这计划，难道会反复无常吗？难道我是意气用事，出尔反尔吗？ 18我在信实的上帝面前保证：我们对你们说的话绝不会忽是忽非！ 19我和西拉、提摩太在你们当中所传扬的那位上帝的儿子耶稣基督绝不会忽是忽非，在祂只有“是”。 20因为上帝的一切应许在基督里都是确实的，所以我们也是借着基督说“阿们1:20 “阿们”是“诚然如此”的意思。”，将荣耀归于上帝。 21是上帝使我们和你们一同在基督里信心坚固。祂差遣1:21 “差遣”希腊文是“膏立”。了我们， 22在我们身上盖了祂自己的印记，并让圣灵住在我们心中作担保。
23我求上帝为我作证：我没有去哥林多，是为了宽容你们。 24我们并不是要操纵你们的信仰，而是要帮助你们，使你们喜乐，因为你们在信仰上已经站稳了。
