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Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort

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who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.

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For as the sufferings of Christ abound unto us, even so our comfort also aboundeth through Christ.

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But whether we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation or whether we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which worketh in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer:

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and our hope for you is stedfast knowing that, as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so also are ye of the comfort.

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For we would not have you ignorant, brethren, concerning our affliction which befell [us] in Asia, that we were weighed down exceedingly, beyond our power, insomuch that we despaired even of life:

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yea, we ourselves have had the sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:

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who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have set our hope that he will also still deliver us

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ye also helping together on our behalf by your supplication that, for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf.