2 Corinthians 1:3-2:11

English Standard Version

God of All Comfort

^3 (A)Blessed be the ^(B)God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and ^(C)God of all comfort, ^4 (D)who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. ⁵ For as we share abundantly in ^(E)Christ's sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.^{[a] 6 (F)}If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer. ⁷ Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you ^(G)share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

⁸ For we do not want you to be unaware, brothers,^[b] of ^(H)the affliction we experienced in Asia. For we were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself. ⁹ Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death. But that was to make us ^(I)rely not on ourselves ^(J)but on God ^(K)who raises the dead. ^10 (L)He delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. ^(M)On him we have set our hope that he will deliver us again. ^11 (N)You also must help us by prayer, so that many will give thanks on our behalf ^(O)for the blessing granted us through the prayers of many.

Paul's Change of Plans

¹² For our boast is this, ^(P)the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity^[c] and ^(Q)godly sincerity, ^(R)not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you. ¹³ For we are not writing to you anything other than what you read and understand and I hope you will fully understand— ¹⁴ just as you did ^(S)partially understand us—that ^(T)on the day of our Lord Jesus ^(U)you will boast of us as ^(V)we will boast of you.

¹⁵ Because I was sure of this, ^(W)I wanted to come to you first, so that you might have ^(X)a second ^(Y)experience of grace. ¹⁶ I wanted to visit you ^(Z)on my way to Macedonia, and to come back to you from Macedonia and have you send me on my way to Judea. ¹⁷ Was I vacillating when I wanted to do this? Do I make my plans ^(AA)according to the flesh, ready to say “Yes, yes” and “No, no” at the same time? ¹⁸ As surely as ^(AB)God is faithful, ^(AC)our word to you has not been Yes and No. ¹⁹ For ^(AD)the Son of God, Jesus Christ, whom we proclaimed among you, ^(AE)Silvanus and Timothy and I, was not Yes and No, but ^(AF)in him it is always Yes. ²⁰ For ^(AG)all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our ^(AH)Amen to God for his glory. ²¹ And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and ^(AI)has anointed us, ²² and who has also ^(AJ)put his seal on us and ^(AK)given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.^[d]

²³ But ^(AL)I call God to witness against me—it was ^(AM)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we ^(AN)lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm ^(AO)in your faith.

2 For I made up my mind ^(AP)not to make another painful visit to you. ² For ^(AQ)if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? ³ And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, ^(AR)for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. ⁴ For ^(AS)I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

⁵ Now ^(AT)if anyone has caused pain, ^(AU)he has caused it not to me, but ^(AV)in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. ⁶ For such a one, ^(AW)this punishment by the majority is enough, ⁷ so ^(AX)you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸ So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹ For this is why I wrote, that I might ^(AY)test you and know ^(AZ)whether you are obedient in everything. ¹⁰ Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for ^(BA)we are not ignorant of his designs.