2 Corinthians 2–3

2In fact, I made up my mind about this: I would not come to you on another painful visit.^{B 2}For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one being hurt by me?^{C 3}I wrote this very thing so that when I came I wouldn’t have pain from those who ought to give me joy, because I am confident^ax about all of you that my joy will also be yours. ⁴For I wrote to you with many tears out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart—not to cause you pain, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

A SINNER FORGIVEN

⁵If anyone has caused pain, he has caused pain not so much to me but to some degree—not to exaggerate^a—to all of you. ⁶This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person. ⁷As a result, you should instead forgive^b and comfort him. Otherwise, he may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. ⁸Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. ⁹I wrote for this purpose: to test your character^c to see if you are obedient^d in everything. ¹⁰Anyone you forgive, I do too. For what I have forgiven—if I have forgiven anything—it is for your benefit in the presence of Christ, ¹¹so that we may not be taken advantage^e of by Satan. For we are not ignorant of his schemes.

A TRIP TO MACEDONIA

¹²When I came to Troas^f to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord opened a door^g for me, ¹³I had no rest^h in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus.ⁱ Instead, I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia.ⁱ

A MINISTRY OF LIFE OR DEATH

¹⁴But thanks be to God,^k who always leads us in Christ’s triumphal procession and through us spreads the aroma of the knowledge of him in every place.^{l 15}For to God we are the fragrance^m of Christ among those who are being savedⁿ and among those who are perishing.^{o 16}To some we are an aroma of death^p leading to death, but to others, an aroma of life^q leading to life. Who is adequate for these things? ¹⁷For we do not market the word^Dr of God for profit like so many. On the contrary, we speak with sincerity in Christ, as from God and before God.

LIVING LETTERS

3Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some, letters of recommendation to you or from you? ²You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.^{s 3}You show that you are Christ’s letter,^t delivered^A by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God^u—not on tablets of stone^v but on tablets of human hearts.^Bw

PAUL’S COMPETENCE

⁴Such is the confidence we have through Christ before God. ⁵It is not that we are competent in^C ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God.^{x 6}He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant,^y not of the letter,^z but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

NEW COVENANT MINISTRY

⁷Now if the ministry that brought death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory,^aa so that the Israelites were not able to gaze steadily at Moses’s face because of its glory, which was set aside, ⁸how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹For if the ministry that brought condemnation had glory, the ministry that brings righteousness overflows with even more glory. ¹⁰In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious now by comparison because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹For if what was set aside^ab was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

¹²Since, then, we have such a hope,^ac we act with great boldness. ¹³We are not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face^ad to prevent the Israelites from gazing steadily until the end^D of the glory of what was being set aside, ¹⁴but their minds were hardened.^ae For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant,^af the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside only in Christ.^{ag 15}Yet still today, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, ¹⁶but whenever a person turns^ah to the Lord, the veil is removed.^{ai 17}Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at^Eaj the glory of the Lord^ak and are being transformed^al into the same image^am from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit.^F