And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord,<n id="1" /> are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another,<n id="2" /> which is from<n id="3" /> the Lord, who is the Spirit.<n id="4" />p>

Grace and peace to you<n id="1" /> from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ!p>

I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me.

and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back<n id="1" /> to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you.

But if anyone has caused sadness, he has not saddened me alone, but to some extent (not to exaggerate)<n id="1" /> he has saddened all of you as well.

Not that we are adequate<n id="1" /> in ourselves to consider anything as if it were coming from ourselves, but our adequacy<n id="2" /> is from God,

Therefore we are always full of courage, and we know that as long as we are alive here on earth<n id="1" /> we are absent from the Lord &#8211;

just as also you have partly understood us, that we are your source of pride just as you also are ours<n id="1" /> in the day of the Lord Jesus.<n id="2" />

So then from now on we acknowledge<n id="1" /> no one from an outward human point of view.<n id="2" /> Even though we have known Christ from such a human point of view,<n id="3" /> now we do not know him in that way any longer.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Therefore, since we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves<n id="1" /> from everything that could defile the body<n id="2" /> and the spirit, and thus accomplish<n id="3" /> holiness out of reverence for God.<n id="4" />

Therefore we have been encouraged. And in addition to our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because all of you have refreshed his spirit.<n id="1" />

So here is my opinion on this matter: It is to your advantage, since you<n id="1" /> made a good start last year both in your giving and your desire to give,

because I know your eagerness to help.<n id="1" /> I keep boasting to the Macedonians about this eagerness of yours,<n id="2" /> that Achaia has been ready to give<n id="3" /> since last year, and your zeal to participate<n id="4" /> has stirred up most of them.<n id="5" />

And I wrote this very thing to you,<n id="1" /> so that when I came<n id="2" /> I would not have sadness from those who ought to make me rejoice, since I am confident in you all that my joy would be yours.

But I am afraid that<n id="1" /> just as the serpent<n id="2" /> deceived Eve by his treachery,<n id="3" /> your minds may be led astray<n id="4" /> from a sincere and pure<n id="5" /> devotion to Christ.

When<n id="1" /> I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs.<n id="2" /> I<n id="3" /> kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.