2 Corinthians
Greeting
1 Paul, an aapostle of Christ Jesus bby the will of God, and Timothy our brother,
To the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:
2 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
God of All Comfort
3 cBlessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of dmercies and eGod of all fcomfort, 4 who gcomforts us in hall our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 5 For as we ishare abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.1 6 If we are afflicted, jit is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. 7 Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.
8 For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,2 of kthe affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us rely not on ourselves but on God lwho mraises the dead. 10 He ndelivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him owe have set our hope that he will deliver us again. 11 pYou also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.
Paul’s Change of Plans
12 For our boast is this, the testimony of our qconscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity3 and godly rsincerity, not by searthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. 13 For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— 14 just as you did partially understand us—that on the tday of our Lord Jesus you will uboast of us as we will vboast of you.
15 Because I was sure of this, wI wanted to come to you first, so that you might have a second xexperience of grace. 16 yI wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. 17 Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans zaccording to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? 18 As surely as God is faithful, our word to you has not been Yes and No. 19 For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but in him it is always Yes. 20 For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory. 21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has aanointed us, 22 and who has also bput his seal on us and given us his Spirit cin our hearts as a dguarantee.4
23 But eI call God to witness against me—fit was to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. 24 Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you gstand firm in your faith.
2 For I made up my mind not to make another painful visit to you. 2 For hif I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3 And iI wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, for jI felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.
Forgive the Sinner
5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. 6 For such a one, this kpunishment by the majority is enough, 7 so lyou should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8 So mI beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are nobedient in everything. 10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.
Triumph in Christ
12 When I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though a odoor was opened for me in the Lord, 13 my spirit was pnot at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.
14 But thanks be to God, who in Christ always qleads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the rfragrance of the sknowledge of him everywhere. 15 For we are the taroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, 16 to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of usincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
Ministers of the New Covenant
3 vAre we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, wletters of recommendation to you, or from you? 2 xYou yourselves yare our letter of recommendation, written on our1 hearts, to be known and read by all. 3 And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on ztablets of stone but on atablets of bhuman hearts.2
4 Such is the cconfidence that we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God, 6 who has made us sufficient to be ministers of a dnew covenant, enot of the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but fthe Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the gministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that hthe Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.
12 Since we have such a hope, we are very ibold, 13 not like Moses, jwho would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their kminds were lhardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one3 turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord4 is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is mfreedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, nbeholding othe glory of the Lord,5 are being ptransformed qinto the same image from one degree of glory to another.6 For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.
The Light of the Gospel
4 Therefore, having this ministry rby the mercy of God,1 we do not slose heart. 2 But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. tWe refuse to practice2 cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth uwe would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even vif our gospel is veiled, it is veiled wto those who are perishing. 4 In their case the xgod of this world has yblinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the zimage of God. 5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but aJesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your bservants3 for Jesus’ sake. 6 For God, who said, c“Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts dto give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
Treasure in Jars of Clay
7 But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. 8 eWe are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 falways carrying in the body the death of Jesus, gso that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are halways being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So ideath is at work in us, but life in you.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, j“I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 kknowing that lhe who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and mbring us with you into his presence. 15 For nit is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self4 is wasting away, our oinner self is being prenewed day by day. 17 For qthis light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look rnot to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
Our Heavenly Dwelling
5 For we know that if the stent that is our earthly home is destroyed, we have a building from God, a thouse not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this tent we ugroan, longing vto put on our heavenly dwelling, 3 if indeed by putting it on1 we may not be found naked. 4 For while we are still in this tent, we groan, being burdened—not that we would be unclothed, but that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5 He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a wguarantee.2
6 So we are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, 7 for xwe walk by faith, not by sight. 8 Yes, we are of good courage, and ywe would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. 10 For zwe must all appear before the ajudgment seat of Christ, so that beach one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.
The Ministry of Reconciliation
11 Therefore, knowing the cfear of the Lord, we persuade others. But dwhat we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. 12 eWe are not commending ourselves to you again but giving you cause fto boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward gappearance and not about what is in the heart. 13 For hif we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died ifor all, therefore all have died; 15 and he died for jall, that those who live might kno longer live for themselves but lfor him who for their sake died and was raised.
16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one maccording to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a nnew creation.3 oThe old has passed away; behold, the new has come. 18 All this is from God, who through Christ preconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling4 the world to himself, not qcounting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 20 Therefore, we are rambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. 21 For our sake she made him to be sin twho knew no sin, uso that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
