2 Corinthians 2

¹⁰This is why I write these things while absent, so that when I am present I will not need to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

²³I call God as my witness that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth.

²⁰For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

²¹I am afraid that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.

⁴For through many tears I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart, not to grieve you but to let you know how much I love you.

²¹Which do you prefer? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and with a gentle spirit?

²And after engaging these men in sharp debate, Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question.

⁸Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it—for I see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time—

²⁶If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep.

¹⁴as you have already understood us in part, that you may boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of our Lord Jesus.

²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?

¹⁰I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.

²²And we are sending along with them our brother who has proven his earnestness to us many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you.

²¹Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

⁴And we have confidence in the Lord that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.

¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

²¹I am afraid that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.

¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

⁵Better an open rebuke than love that is concealed.

⁶The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

¹⁷You must not harbor hatred against your brother in your heart. Directly rebuke your neighbor, so that you will not incur guilt on account of him.

¹⁸Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against any of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord.

⁴¹As Jesus approached Jerusalem and saw the city, He wept over it

⁴²and said, “If only you had known on this day what would bring you peace! But now it is hidden from your eyes.

²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

¹⁸For as I have often told you before, and now say again even with tears: Many live as enemies of the cross of Christ.

¹²What business of mine is it to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?

¹³God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked man from among you.”

¹²I beg you, brothers, become like me, for I became like you. You have done me no wrong.

¹⁰I am confident in the Lord that you will take no other view. The one who is troubling you will bear the judgment, whoever he may be.

¹It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is intolerable even among pagans: A man has his father’s wife.

²And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have been stricken with grief and have removed from your fellowship the man who did this?

²⁵A foolish son brings grief to his father and bitterness to her who bore him.

⁴When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,

⁵hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.

²⁰But those who persist in sin should be rebuked in front of everyone, so that the others will stand in fear of sin.

¹⁰This is why I write these things while absent, so that when I am present I will not need to be severe in my use of the authority that the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.

¹¹Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.

³²Be kind and tenderhearted to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

²Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

¹³Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

⁷These also stagger from wine and stumble from strong drink: Priests and prophets reel from strong drink and are befuddled by wine. They stumble because of strong drink, muddled in their visions and stumbling in their judgments.

²²A joyful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.

¹⁴Take note of anyone who does not obey the instructions we have given in this letter. Do not associate with him, so that he may be ashamed.

¹⁵Yet do not regard him as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother.

²²And indeed, have mercy on those who doubt;

²³save others by snatching them from the fire; and to still others show mercy tempered with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.

¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to the family of faith.

¹³For you, brothers, were called to freedom; but do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Rather, serve one another in love.

¹Brothers, if someone is caught in a trespass, you who are spiritual should restore him with a spirit of gentleness. But watch yourself, or you also may be tempted.

²Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.

⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

²¹Confident of your obedience, I write to you, knowing that you will do even more than I ask.

²²But you know Timothy’s proven worth, that as a child with his father he has served with me to advance the gospel.

¹²So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.

¹³On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.

²⁴In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.

¹²Therefore, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not only in my presence, but now even more in my absence, continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling.

²³If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.”

²⁰Therefore we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making His appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ: Be reconciled to God.

¹⁸Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

⁴When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, along with the power of the Lord Jesus,

⁸Be sober-minded and alert. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

¹¹Put on the full armor of God, so that you can make your stand against the devil’s schemes.

¹²For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this world’s darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

³I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

⁴The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

³¹Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you like wheat.

⁹And the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

¹⁰And I heard a loud voice in heaven saying: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ. For the accuser of our brothers has been thrown down—he who accuses them day and night before our God.

⁸So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas.

²⁷When they arrived, they gathered the church together and reported all that God had done through them, and how He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

³as you pray also for us, that God may open to us a door for the word, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.

⁹because a great door for effective work has opened to me, even though many oppose me.

⁷To the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These are the words of the One who is holy and true, who holds the key of David. What He opens no one can shut, and what He shuts no one can open.

⁸I know your deeds. Behold, I have placed before you an open door, which no one can shut. I know that you have only a little strength, yet you have kept My word and have not denied My name.

¹When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples. And after encouraging them, he said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia.

²After traveling through that area and speaking many words of encouragement, he arrived in Greece,

⁵For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.

⁶But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,

¹⁸I urged Titus to visit you, and I sent our brother with him. Did Titus exploit you in any way? Did we not walk in the same Spirit and follow in the same footsteps?

¹Fourteen years later I went up again to Jerusalem, accompanied by Barnabas. I took Titus along also.

¹⁰because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia.

⁶So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.

³Yet not even Titus, who was with me, was compelled to be circumcised, even though he was a Greek.

²and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

³⁷No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

¹⁵For we are to God the sweet aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.

¹⁶To the one we are an odor that brings death, to the other a fragrance that brings life. And who is qualified for such a task?

¹⁵Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

¹⁷But thanks be to God that, though you once were slaves to sin, you wholeheartedly obeyed the form of teaching to which you were committed.

¹⁵And having disarmed the powers and authorities, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

²and walk in love, just as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us as a fragrant sacrificial offering to God.

¹⁸For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

⁴¹When I bring you from the peoples and gather you from the lands to which you have been scattered, I will accept you as a pleasing aroma. And I will show My holiness through you in the sight of the nations.

¹⁸I have all I need and more, now that I have received your gifts from Epaphroditus. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, well-pleasing to God.

²¹When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, He said in His heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from his youth. And never again will I destroy all living creatures as I have done.

¹⁸Then burn the entire ram on the altar; it is a burnt offering to the Lord, a pleasing aroma, a food offering to the Lord.

⁵Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim that anything comes from us, but our competence comes from God.

⁶And He has qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

³⁹Then Jesus declared, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind may see and those who see may become blind.”

⁷To you who believe, then, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,”

⁸and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble because they disobey the word—and to this they were appointed.

³⁴Then Simeon blessed them and said to His mother Mary: “Behold, this Child is appointed to cause the rise and fall of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

¹⁰But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace to me was not in vain. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.

⁴⁵But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy, and they blasphemously contradicted what Paul was saying.

⁴⁶Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “It was necessary to speak the word of God to you first. But since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles.

²Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

¹²For this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in relation to you, in the holiness and sincerity that are from God—not in worldly wisdom, but in the grace of God.

¹Now there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.

²Many will follow in their depravity, and because of them the way of truth will be defamed.

³For the time will come when men will not tolerate sound doctrine, but with itching ears they will gather around themselves teachers to suit their own desires.

⁴So they will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths.

¹Now the Spirit expressly states that in later times some will abandon the faith to follow deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,

²influenced by the hypocrisy of liars, whose consciences are seared with a hot iron.

²⁴For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.