2 Corinthians 2:1–3:18

2 But I determined this within myself, athat I would not come again to you in sorrow. 2 For if I make you bsorrowful, then who is he who makes me glad but the one who is made sorrowful by me?

Forgive the Offender

3 And I wrote this very thing to you, lest, when I came, cI should have sorrow over those from whom I ought to have joy, dhaving confidence in you all that my joy is the joy of you all. 4 For out of much 1affliction and anguish of heart I wrote to you, with many tears, enot that you should be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have so abundantly for you.

5 But fif anyone has caused grief, he has not ggrieved me, but all of you to some extent—not to be too severe. 6 This punishment which was inflicted hby the majority is sufficient for such a man, 7 iso that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow. 8 Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him. 9 For to this end I also wrote, that I might put you to the test, whether you are jobedient in all things. 10 Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For 2if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, 11 lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

Triumph in Christ

12 Furthermore, kwhen I came to Troas to preach Christ’s gospel, and la 3door was opened to me by the Lord, 13 mI had no rest in my spirit, because I did not find Titus my brother; but taking my leave of them, I departed for Macedonia.

14 Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us 4diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ namong those who are being saved and oamong those who are perishing. 16 pTo the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And qwho is sufficient for these things? 17 For we are not, as 5so many, rpeddling 6the word of God; but as sof sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

Christ’s Epistle

3 Do awe begin again to commend ourselves? Or do we need, as some others, bepistles of commendation to you or letters of commendation from you? 2 cYou are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 3 clearly you are an epistle of Christ, dministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not eon tablets of stone but fon tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.

The Spirit, Not the Letter

4 And we have such trust through Christ toward God. 5 gNot that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but hour sufficiency is from God, 6 who also made us sufficient as iministers of jthe new covenant, not kof the letter but of the 1Spirit; for lthe letter kills, mbut the Spirit gives life.

Glory of the New Covenant

7 But if nthe ministry of death, owritten and engraved on stones, was glorious, pso that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, 8 how will qthe ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry rof righteousness exceeds much more in glory. 10 For even what was made glorious had no glory in this respect, because of the glory that excels. 11 For if what is passing away was glorious, what remains is much more glorious.

12 Therefore, since we have such hope, swe use great boldness of speech—13 unlike Moses, twho put a veil over his face so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at uthe end of what was passing away. 14 But vtheir minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. 15 But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart. 16 Nevertheless wwhen one turns to the Lord, xthe veil is taken away. 17 Now ythe Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is zliberty. 18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding aas in a mirror bthe glory of the Lord, care being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as 2by the Spirit of the Lord.