2 Corinthians 2:5-3:6

New International Version

Forgiveness for the Offender

⁵ If anyone has caused grief,^(A) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶ The punishment^(B) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,^(C) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ Another reason I wrote you^(D) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.^{(E) 10} Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, ¹¹ in order that Satan^(F) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.^(G)

Ministers of the New Covenant

¹² Now when I went to Troas^(H) to preach the gospel of Christ^(I) and found that the Lord had opened a door^(J) for me, ¹³ I still had no peace of mind,^(K) because I did not find my brother Titus^(L) there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.^(M)

¹⁴ But thanks be to God,^(N) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma^(O) of the knowledge^(P) of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma^(Q) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.^{(R) 16} To the one we are an aroma that brings death;^(S) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?^{(T) 17} Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.^(U) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,^(V) as those sent from God.^(W)

3 Are we beginning to commend ourselves^(X) again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation^(Y) to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone.^{(Z) 3} You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God,^(AA) not on tablets of stone^(AB) but on tablets of human hearts.^(AC)

⁴ Such confidence^(AD) we have through Christ before God. ⁵ Not that we are competent in ourselves^(AE) to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.^{(AF) 6} He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant^(AG)—not of the letter^(AH) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.^(AI)