2 Corinthians 2–3

2But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow. ²For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me? ³And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is the joy of you all. ⁴For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.

⁵But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all. ⁶Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was inflicted by the many; ⁷so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow. ⁸Wherefore I beseech you to confirm your love toward him. ⁹For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things. ¹⁰But to whom ye forgive anything, I forgive also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes have I forgiven it in the presence of Christ; ¹¹that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.

¹²Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord, ¹³I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.

¹⁴But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place. ¹⁵For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish; ¹⁶to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.

3Are we beginning again to commend ourselves? or need we, as do some, epistles of commendation to you or from you? ²Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men; ³being made manifest that ye are an epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in tables that are hearts of flesh. ⁴And such confidence have we through Christ to God-ward: ⁵not that we are sufficient of ourselves, to account anything as from ourselves; but our sufficiency is from God; ⁶who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. ⁷But if the ministration of death, written, and engraven on stones, came with glory, so that the children of Israel could not look stedfastly upon the face of Moses for the glory of his face; which glory was passing away: ⁸how shall not rather the ministration of the spirit be with glory? ⁹For if the ministration of condemnation hath glory, much rather doth the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. ¹⁰For verily that which hath been made glorious hath not been made glorious in this respect, by reason of the glory that surpasseth. ¹¹For if that which passeth away was with glory, much more that which remaineth is in glory.

¹²Having therefore such a hope, we use great boldness of speech, ¹³and are not as Moses, who put a veil upon his face, that the children of Israel should not look stedfastly on the end of that which was passing away: ¹⁴but their minds were hardened: for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remaineth, it not being revealed to them that it is done away in Christ. ¹⁵But unto this day, whensoever Moses is read, a veil lieth upon their heart. ¹⁶But whensoever it shall turn to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷Now the Lord is the Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. ¹⁸But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.