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your affairs were in dire straits; but now, by as much as our persecutions intensify, by so much more must we expect the things of good hope to increase. Which is at work in the patient endurance of the same sufferings that we also suffer. And our hope for you is steadfast; whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort and salvation, It shows that with their own benefit, grace also strengthened them much, working in them. For as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also of the comfort. For we do not want you to be ignorant, brothers, of our affliction which came 95.709 to us in Asia, that we were burdened beyond measure, beyond our strength, so that we despaired even of life. Just as you suffer when we are persecuted, he says, as if you yourselves were suffering this, so we know that when we are comforted, you yourselves also enjoy these things. But we have had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves but in God. That is, the judgment and the expectation. What he says is something like this: The circumstances held such an expectation, that we would all die, but this did not come to pass, but it stopped at our own thought. And the phrase, "that we should not trust," he says not because he himself was so disposed, but to regulate others in the things said as if about himself. who raises the dead, who delivered us from so great a death, and will deliver us; in whom we have hoped that He will still deliver us, you also helping together in prayer for us. Again he moves them to discussions about the resurrection. so that from many persons the gift bestowed upon us may be thankfully acknowledged by many on your behalf. So that the many persons, he says, may give thanks to him, since the many also received the grace. And he says these things, at once stirring them up to prayers for others, and teaching them humility, and leading them to love. And in addition to these things, there is also this: that even if God does something great out of compassion, here prayer also contributes. For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in holiness, He sets down a third cause of comfort. And this is to conduct oneself with a pure conscience everywhere in the world. He says these things, instructing them not to fall down even in afflictions, when they have a pure conscience. And the meaning is this: Our boasting is this, he says, our conscience, which cannot condemn us as being persecuted for wicked deeds. and sincerity of God. That is, nothing deceitful. Not in fleshly wisdom. That is, not in evil-doing, nor in cleverness of words, or in a clever interweaving of spiritual gifts. But in the grace of God we have conducted ourselves in the world, and more abundantly toward you. showing the power from him given to you through signs. For we are not writing other things to you, but what you read or also recognize. Since he spoke great things about himself, which was 95.712 burdensome, he brings them forward as witnesses of what was said. And I hope that you will understand to the end, just as you have also understood us in part. From past things, future things are confirmed. Then, he did not declare this simply, but casting the whole matter on God, and on the hope in him. That we are your boast, just as you also are ours, in the day of our Lord Jesus. Here he cuts off the envy or strife arising from what was said, making them also partakers of the glory of his achievements. For it did not end with us, he says, but it also passes over to you. And in this confidence I intended to come to you before, that you might have a second benefit, and to pass through you into Macedonia, and to come again from Macedonia to you, and be sent by you to Judea. Therefore, intending this, To have great confidence in you, to boast in you, and for you to be our boast. Did I then use lightness? Or the things I plan, do I plan according to the flesh, that with me there should be Yes, yes, and No, no? For what reason did I not come, he says? Was it as one who is fickle and changeable? By no means. But why? Because the things I plan, I do not plan according to the flesh. And what he says is something like this: The

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ἐν ἐσχάτοις ἦν τὰ ὑμέτερα· νῦν δὲ ὅσῳ ἂν ἐπιτείνηται τὰ τῶν διωγμῶν τῶν ἡμετέρων, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ἐπιδιδόναι τὰ τῆς χρηστῆς ἐλπίδος προσδοκᾷν δεῖ. Τῆς ἐνεργουμένης ἐν ὑπομονῇ τῶν αὐτῶν παθημάτων, ὧν καὶ ἡμεῖς πάσχομεν. Καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡμῶν βεβαία ὑπὸ ὑμῶν· εἴτε παρακαλούμεθα, ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν παρακλήσεως καὶ σωτηρίας, ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι μετὰ τῆς αὐτῶν ὠφελείας καὶ ἡ χάρις πολλὰ ἐνίσχυσεν ἐνεργοῦσα ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ὅτι ὡς κοινωνοί ἐστε τῶν παθημάτων, οὕτω καὶ τῆς παρακλήσεως. Οὐ γὰρ θέλω μὲν ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοὶ, ὑπὲρ τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν, τῆς γενο 95.709 μένης ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ Ἀσίᾳ, ὅτι καθ' ὑπερβολὴν ἐβαρύνθημεν ὑπὲρ δύναμιν, ὥστε ἐξαπορηθῆναι ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ ζῇν. Ὥσπερ διωκομένων ἡμῶν ἀλγεῖτε, φησὶν, ὡς αὐτοὶ τοῦτο πάσχοντες, οὕτως ἴσμεν ὅτι καὶ παρακαλουμένων, αὐτοὶ τούτων ἀπολαύετε. Ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τὸ ἀπόκριμα τοῦ θανάτου ἐσχήκαμεν, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ. Τουτέστι, τὴν κρίσιν καὶ τὴν προσδοκίαν. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστι· Τοιαύτην προσδοκίαν εἶχε τὰ πράγματα, ὅτι ἀποθανούμεθα πάντες, ἀλλ' οὐ προέβη τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐννοίας ἔστη. Τὸ δὲ, ἵνα μὴ πεποιθότες ὦμεν, οὐκ ἐπειδὴ αὐτὸς οὕτω διέκειτο λέγει, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἐν τοῖς ὡς περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις ῥυθμίζων. Τῷ ἐγείροντι τοὺς νεκροὺς, ὃς ἐκ τηλικούτου θανάτου ἐῤῥύσατο ἡμᾶς, καὶ ῥύσεται· εἰς ὃν ἠλπίκαμεν ὅτι καὶ ἔτι ῥύσεται, συνυπουργούντων καὶ ὑμῶν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῇ δεήσει. Πάλιν τοὺς περὶ ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῖς κινεῖ λόγους. Ἵνα ἐκ πολλῶν προσώπων τὸ εἰς ἡμᾶς χάρισμα διὰ πολλῶν εὐχαριστηθῇ ὑπὲρ ὑμῶν. Ἵνα τὰ πολλὰ πρόσωπα, φησὶν, αὐτῷ εὐχαριστήσῃ, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τὰ πολλὰ τὴν χάριν ἔλαβεν. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, ὁμοῦ μὲν καὶ εἰς τὰς ὑπὲρ ἑτέρων εὐχὰς αὐτοὺς διεγείρων, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην αὐτοὺς διδάσκων, καὶ εἰς ἀγάπην ἄγων. Πρὸς δὲ τούτοις κἀκεῖνο, ὅτι κἂν ἀπὸ οἰκτιρμῶν ποιήσῃ Θεὸς μέγα, ἐνταῦθα καὶ εὐχὴ συμβάλλεται. Ἡ γὰρ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστὶ, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁγιότητι, Τρίτην αἰτίαν παρακλήσεως τίθησιν. Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν, ἡ ἐν καθαρῷ συνειδότι πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἀναστρέφεσθαι. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγει, παιδεύων αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσι μὴ καταπίπτειν, ὅταν τὸ συνειδὸς καθαρὸν ἔχωσιν. Ὁ δὲ νοῦς οὕτως· Ἡ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστὶ, φησὶν, ἡ συνείδησις ἡμῶν, οὐκ ἔχουσα ἡμᾶς καταδικάζειν ὡς ἐπὶ πονηροῖς πράγμασιν ἐλαυνομένους. Καὶ εἰλικρινείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τουτέστιν, οὐδὲν δολερόν. Οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇ. Τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἐν κακουργίᾳ, οὐδὲ δεινότητι λόγων, ἢ συμπλοκῇ σοφοῖς χαρισμάτων. Ἀλλ' ἐν χάριτι Θεοῦ ἀνεστράφημεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, περισσοτέρως δὲ πρὸς ὑμᾶς. Τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ δύναμιν δεδομένην ὑμῖν διὰ τῶν σημείων ἐνδεικνύμενοι. Οὐ γὰρ ἄλλα γράφομεν ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ἢ ἃ ἀναγινώσκετε, ἢ καὶ ἐπιγινώσκετε. Ἐπειδὴ μεγάλα ἐφθέγξατο περὶ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅπερ ἦν 95.712 φορτικὸν, αὐτοὺς παράγει μάρτυρας τῶν λεγομένων. Ἐλπίζω δὲ κἀγὼ, ὅτι ἕως τέλους ἐπιγνώσεσθε, καθὼς καὶ ἐπέγνωτε ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ μέρους. Ἀπὸ τῶν παρελθόντων πιστοῦται τὰ μέλλοντα. Εἶτα, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοῦτο ἀπεφήνατο, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν ἐπιῤῥίπτων τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδι. Ὅτι καύχημα ὑμῶν ἐσμεν, καθάπερ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἡμῶν, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ. Ἐνταῦθα τὸν ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ὑποτέμνεται φθόνον ἢ ἔριδας, αὐτοὺς καὶ κοινωνοὺς ποιῶν τῆς δόξης τῶν αὐτοῦ κατορθωμάτων. Οὐ γὰρ μέχρις ἡμῶν κατήντησε, φησὶ, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς διαβαίνει. Καὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πεποιθήσει ἐβουλόμην πρότερον πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐλθεῖν, ἵνα δευτέραν χάριν σχῆτε, καὶ δι' ὑμῶν ἀπελθεῖν εἰς Μακεδονίαν, καὶ πάλιν ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καὶ ὑφ' ἡμῶν προπεμφθῆναι εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν. Τοῦτο οὖν βουλόμενος, Τὸ σφόδρα θαῤῥεῖν ὑμῖν, τὸ καυχᾶσθαι ἐφ' ὑμῖν, καὶ καύχημα ἡμῶν ὑμᾶς εἶναι. Μήτι ἄρα τῇ ἐλαφρίᾳ ἐχρησάμην; ἢ ἃ βουλεύομαι, κατὰ σάρκα βουλεύομαι, ἵνα ᾖ παρ' ἐμοὶ τὸ Ναὶ, ναὶ, καὶ τὸ, Οὒ, οὔ; Τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἦλθον, φησίν; ἆρα ὡς κοῦφος καὶ εὐριπιστής; οὐδαμῶς. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τί; Ὅτι ἃ βουλεύομαι, οὐ κατὰ σάρκα βουλεύομαι. Ὃ δὲ λέγει τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· Ὁ