But I determined this for my own sake, that I awould not come to you again in sorrow. 2 For if I acause you sorrow, who then makes me glad but the one whom I made sorrowful? 3 And this is the very thing I awrote you, so that bwhen I came, I would not have sorrow from those who ought to make me rejoice; having cconfidence in you all that my joy would be the joy of you all. 4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I awrote to you with many tears; not so that you would be made sorrowful, but that you might know the love which I have abundantly for you.
Forgive and Love the Sinner
5 But aif any has caused sorrow, he has caused sorrow not to me, but in some degree—in order not to say too much—to all of you. 6 Sufficient for such a one is athis punishment which was inflicted by the majority, 7 so that on the contrary you should rather agraciously forgive and comfort him, lest such a one be swallowed up by excessive sorrow. 8 Therefore I encourage you to reaffirm your love for him. 9 For to this end also aI wrote, so that I might bknow your proven character, whether you are cobedient in all things. 10 But one whom you graciously forgive anything, I graciously forgive also. For indeed what I have graciously forgiven, if I have graciously forgiven anything, I did it for your sakes ain the presence of Christ, 11 so that no advantage would be taken of us by aSatan, for bwe are not ignorant of his schemes.
12 Now when I came to aTroas for the bgospel of Christ and when a cdoor was opened for me in the Lord, 13 I ahad no rest for my spirit, not finding bTitus my brother. But csaying farewell to them, I went on to dMacedonia.
14 aBut thanks be to God, who always bleads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and manifests through us the caroma of the dknowledge of Him in every place. 15 For we are a afragrance of Christ to God among bthose who are being saved and among those who are perishing; 16 ato the one an aroma from death to death, to the other an aroma from life to life. And who is bsufficient for these things? 17 For we are not like many, apeddling the word of God, but bas from sincerity, but as from God, cin the sight of God, we speak in Christ.
Ministers of a New Covenant
Are we beginning to acommend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, bletters of commendation to you or from you? 2 aYou are our letter, having been written in our hearts, known and read by all men, 3 being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, aministered to by us, having been written not with ink but with the Spirit of bthe living God, not on ctablets of stone but on dtablets of hearts of eflesh.
4 And such aconfidence we have through Christ toward God. 5 Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but aour sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as aministers of a bnew covenant, not of cthe letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but dthe Spirit gives life.
7 But if the aministry of death, bin letters having been engraved on stones, came with glory, cso that the sons of Israel could not look intently at the face of Moses because of the glory of his face, which was being brought to an end, 8 how will the ministry of the Spirit not be even more in glory? 9 For if athe ministry of condemnation has glory, much more does the bministry of righteousness abound in glory. 10 For indeed what had been glorious, in this case has no glory because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if that which was being brought to an end was with glory, much more that which remains is in glory.
12 aTherefore having such a hope, bwe use great boldness, 13 and are not like Moses, awho used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Israel would not look intently at the consequence of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were ahardened; for until this very day at the breading of cthe old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is brought to an end in Christ. 15 But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart, 16 but awhenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where athe Spirit of the Lord is, bthere is freedom. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, abeholding as in a mirror the bglory of the Lord, are being ctransformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from dthe Lord, the Spirit.
The Gospel of the Glory of Christ
Therefore, since we have this aministry, as we breceived mercy, we cdo not lose heart, 2 but we have renounced the ahidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or badulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ccommending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. 3 And even if our agospel is bveiled, it is veiled to cthose who are perishing, 4 in whose case athe god of bthis age has cblinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the dlight of the gospel of the eglory of Christ, who is the fimage of God. 5 For we ado not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves for the sake of Jesus. 6 For God, who said, “aLight shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has bshone in our hearts to give the cLight of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
7 But we have this treasure in aearthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of bthe power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 ain every way afflicted, but not bcrushed; cperplexed, but not despairing; 9 apersecuted, but not bforsaken; cstruck down, but not destroyed; 10 aalways carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that bthe life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 11 For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death works in us, but life in you.
13 But having the same aspirit of faith, according to what is written, “bI believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak, 14 knowing that He who araised the Lord Jesus bwill raise us also with Jesus and will cpresent us with you. 15 For all things are afor your sakes, so that the grace which is bspreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.
16 Therefore we ado not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our binner man is cbeing renewed day by day. 17 For our momentary, alight affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, 18 while we alook not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
The Temporal and Eternal
For we know that if the aearthly btent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house cnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For indeed in this we agroan, longing to be bclothed with our dwelling from heaven, 3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked. 4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we agroan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be bclothed, so that what is cmortal will be swallowed up by life. 5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who agave to us the Spirit as a pledge.
6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that awhile we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— 7 for awe walk by faith, not by sight— 8 we are of good courage and aprefer rather to be absent from the body and bto be at home with the Lord. 9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be apleasing to Him. 10 For we must all appear before athe judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
11 So then, knowing the afear of the Lord, we persuade men, but we have been made manifest to God; and I hope that we have been bmade manifest also in your consciences. 12 We are not aagain commending ourselves to you but are giving you an bopportunity to boast of us, so that you will have an answer for those who boast in appearance and not in heart. 13 For if we are aout of our mind, it is for God, or if we are of right mind, it is for you. 14 For the love of Christ acontrols us, having concluded this, that bone died for all, therefore all died. 15 And He died for all, so that they who live would no longer alive for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.
16 Therefore from now on we recognize no one aaccording to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. 17 Therefore if anyone is ain Christ, he is ba new creation; cthe old things passed away; behold, new things have come. 18 Now aall these things are from God, bwho reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the cministry of reconciliation, 19 namely, that aGod was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, bnot counting their transgressions against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.
20 So then, we are aambassadors for Christ, bas God is pleading through us. We beg you on behalf of Christ, be creconciled to God. 21 He made Him who aknew no sin to be bsin on our behalf, so that we might become the crighteousness of God in Him.
Commendable Ministers of God
And aworking together with Him, bwe also plead with you not to receive cthe grace of God in vain— 2 for He says,
“aAt the acceptable time I listened to you,
And on the day of salvation I helped you.”
Behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”— 3 agiving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, 4 but in everything acommending ourselves as bministers of God, cin much perseverance, in afflictions, in distresses, in hardships, 5 in abeatings, in imprisonments, in bdisturbances, in labors, in sleeplessness, in chunger, 6 in purity, in aknowledge, in bpatience, in kindness, in the cHoly Spirit, in dunhypocritical love, 7 in athe word of truth, in bthe power of God; by cthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and adishonor, by bevil report and good report; regarded as cdeceivers and yet dtrue; 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as adying and yet behold, bwe live; as punished and yet not put to death, 10 as asorrowful but always arejoicing, as bpoor but making many rich, as chaving nothing and yet possessing dall things.
11 aOur mouth has spoken freely to you, O Corinthians, our bheart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained by us, but ayou are restrained in your own affections. 13 Now in a like aexchange—I speak as to bchildren—open wide to us also.
14 aDo not be unequally yoked with bunbelievers; for what cpartnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? 15 Or what aharmony has Christ with Belial, or what has a bbeliever in common with an cunbeliever? 16 Or awhat agreement has a sanctuary of God with idols? For we are ba sanctuary of cthe living God; just as God said,
“dI will edwell in them and fwalk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.
17 aTherefore, bcome out from their midst and be separate,” says the Lord.
“And do not touch what is unclean,
And I will welcome you.
18 aAnd I will be a father to you,
And you shall be bsons and daughters to Me,”
says the Lord Almighty.
Therefore, having these promises, abeloved, blet us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
Godly Sorrow Produces Repentance
2 aMake room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, we corrupted no one, we took advantage of no one. 3 I do not speak to condemn you, for I have said abefore that you are bin our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 Great is my aboldness toward you; great is my bboasting on your behalf. I have been filled with ccomfort; I am overflowing with djoy in all our affliction.
5 For even when we came into aMacedonia our flesh had no rest, but we were bafflicted on every side—cconflicts without, fears within. 6 But aGod, who comforts the humbled, bcomforted us by the coming of cTitus; 7 and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted in you, as he reported to us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced even more. 8 For though I acaused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— 9 I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance. For you were made to have godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For godly sorrow produces a arepentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death. 11 For behold what earnestness this very thing—this godly sorrow—has brought about in you: what vindication of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what alonging, what zeal, what bavenging of wrong! In everything you cdemonstrated yourselves to be innocent in the matter. 12 So although aI wrote to you, it was not for the sake of bthe offender nor for the sake of the one offended, but that your earnestness on our behalf might be manifested to you in the sight of God. 13 For this reason we have been acomforted.
And besides our comfort, we rejoiced even much more for the joy of bTitus, because his cspirit has been refreshed by you all. 14 For if in anything I have aboasted to him about you, I was not put to shame, but as we spoke all things to you in truth, so also our boasting before bTitus proved to be the truth. 15 And his affection abounds all the more toward you, as he remembers the aobedience of you all, how you received him with bfear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that in everything aI am encouraged about you.