1 ¹² There is one thing we are proud of: our conscience assures us that in our dealings with our fellow-men, and above all in our dealings with you, our conduct has been governed by a devout and godly sincerity, Some witnesses read: by sincere and godly singleness of mind. by the grace of God and not by worldly wisdom. 1 ¹³ There is nothing in our letters to you but what you can read for yourselves, and understand too. 1 ¹⁴ Partial as your present knowledge of us is, you will I hope come to understand fully that you have as much reason to be proud of us, as we of you, on the Day of our Lord Jesus.

1 ¹⁵ It was because I felt so confident about all this that I had intended to come first of all to you Or: had originally intended to come to you ... and give you the benefit of a double visit: 1 ¹⁶ I meant to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and after leaving Macedonia, to return to you, and you would then send me on my way to Judaea. 1 ¹⁷ That was my intention; did I lightly change my mind? Or: In forming the intention, did I act irresponsibly? Or do I, when I frame my plans, frame them as a worldly man might, so that it should rest with me to say 'yes' and 'yes', or 'no' and 'no'? 1 ¹⁸ As God is true, the language in which we address you is not an ambiguous blend of Yes and No. 1 ¹⁹ The Son of God, Christ Jesus, proclaimed among you by us (by Silvanus and Timothy, I mean, as well as myself), was never a blend of Yes and No. With him it was, and is, Yes. 1 ²⁰ He is the Yes pronounced upon God's promises, every one of them. That is why, when we give glory to God, it is through Christ Jesus that we say 'Amen'. 1 ²¹ And if you and we belong to Christ, guaranteed as his and anointed, it is all God's doing; 1 ²² it is God also who has set his seal upon us, and as a pledge of what is to come has given the Spirit to dwell in our hearts.

1 ²³ I appeal to God to witness what I am going to say; I stake my life upon it: it was out of consideration for you that I did not after all come to Corinth. 1 ²⁴ Do not think we are dictating the terms of your faith; your hold on the faith is secure enough. We are working with you for your own happiness.

2 ¹ So I made up my mind that my next visit to you must not be another painful one. 2 ² If I cause pain to you, who is left to cheer me up, except you, whom I have offended? 2 ³ This is precisely the point I made in my letter: I did not want, I said, to come and be made miserable by the very people who ought to have made me happy; and I had sufficient confidence in you all to know that for me to be happy is for all of you to be happy. 2 ⁴ That letter I sent you came out of great distress and anxiety; how many tears I shed as I wrote it! But I never meant to cause you pain; I wanted you rather to know the love, the more than ordinary love, that I have for you.