I do not want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters,

I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you! ¹ 

Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! ¹ 

For such people are false apostles, deceitful ¹  workers, disguising themselves ²  as apostles of Christ.

And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself ¹  as an angel of light.

Since many ¹  are boasting according to human standards, ²  I too will boast.

Three times I was beaten with a rod. ¹  Once I received a stoning. ²  Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea.

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

For even if I made you sad ¹  by my letter, ²  I do not regret having written it ³  (even though I did regret it, ⁴  for ⁵  I see that my letter made you sad, ⁶  though only for a short time).

For see what this very thing, this sadness ¹  as God intended, has produced in you: what eagerness, what defense of yourselves, ²  what indignation, ³  what alarm, what longing, what deep concern, ⁴  what punishment! ⁵  In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

But as you excel ¹  in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, and in all eagerness and in the love from us that is in you ²  – make sure that you excel ³  in this act of kindness ⁴  too.

Therefore I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to go to you in advance and to arrange ahead of time the generous contribution ¹  you had promised, so this may be ready as a generous gift ²  and not as something you feel forced to do. ³ 

Now I, Paul, appeal to you ¹  personally ²  by the meekness and gentleness ³  of Christ (I who am meek ⁴  when present among ⁵  you, but am full of courage ⁶  toward you when away!) –

When 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. ²  I ³  kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.

For how ¹  were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice!

Now we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong, not so that we may appear to have passed the test, ¹  but so that you may do what is right ²  even if we may appear to have failed the test. ³ 

Because of this I am writing these things while absent, so that when I arrive ¹  I may not have to deal harshly with you ²  by using my authority – the Lord gave it to me for building up, not for tearing down!

and through your help to go on into Macedonia and then from Macedonia to come back ¹  to you and be helped on our way into Judea by you.

For this reason also I wrote you: ¹  to test you to see ²  if you are obedient in everything.

So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; what is old has passed away ¹  – look, what is new ²  has come! ³