2 Corinthians 1-4 (English Standard Version)

2 Corinthians 1

Greeting

 ¹Paul,^(A) an apostle of Christ Jesus^(B) by the will of God, and^(C) Timothy our brother,

   

   To the church of God that is at Corinth,^(D) with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia:

 ^2(E) Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

God of All Comfort

 ^3(F) Blessed be the^(G) God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and^(H) God of all comfort, ^4(I) 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. ⁵For as we share abundantly in^(J) Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too.^{[a] 6(K)} 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. ⁷Our hope for you is unshaken, for we know that as you^(L) share in our sufferings, you will also share in our comfort.

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

Paul’s Change of Plans

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

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

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

2 Corinthians 2

 ¹For I made up my mind^(AU) not to make another painful visit to you. ²For^(AV) if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? ³And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice,^(AW) for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. ⁴For^(AX) 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

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

Triumph in Christ

 ¹²When^(BG) I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though^(BH) a door was opened for me in the Lord, ¹³my spirit^(BI) was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

 ¹⁴But^(BJ) thanks be to God, who in Christ always^(BK) leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads^(BL) the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵For we are the aroma of Christ to God among^(BM) those who are being saved and among^(BN) those who are perishing, ^16(BO) to one a fragrance from death to death,^(BP) to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient^[f] for these things? ¹⁷For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.

2 Corinthians 3

Ministers of the New Covenant

 ^1(BQ) Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need,^(BR) as some do,^(BS) letters of recommendation to you, or from you? ^2(BT) You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on our^[g] hearts, to be known and read by all. ³And you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of^(BU) the living God, not on^(BV) tablets of stone but on^(BW) tablets of^(BX) human hearts.^[h]

 ^4(BY) Such is the confidence that we have through Christ toward God. ^5(BZ) Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but^(CA) our sufficiency is from God, ⁶who has made us competent^[i] to be^(CB) ministers of^(CC) a new covenant, not of^(CD) the letter but of the Spirit. For the letter kills, but^(CE) the Spirit gives life.

 ⁷Now if^(CF) the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory^(CG) that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses’ face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, ⁸will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? ⁹For if there was glory in^(CH) the ministry of condemnation,^(CI) the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. ¹⁰Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory.

 ¹²Since we have such a hope,^(CJ) we are very bold, ¹³not like Moses,^(CK) who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. ¹⁴But^(CL) their minds were^(CM) hardened. For to this day,^(CN) when they read^(CO) the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. ¹⁶But when^(CP) one^[j] turns to the Lord,^(CQ) the veil is removed. ¹⁷Now the Lord^[k] is the Spirit, and where^(CR) the Spirit of the Lord is, there is^(CS) freedom. ¹⁸And we all, with unveiled face,^(CT) beholding^(CU) the glory of the Lord,^[l](CV) are being transformed into the same image^(CW) from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.

2 Corinthians 4

The Light of the Gospel

 ¹Therefore, having^(CX) this ministry^(CY) by the mercy of God,^[m] we do not lose heart. ²But we have renounced^(CZ) disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice cunning or^(DA) to tamper with God’s word, but^(DB) by the open statement of the truth^(DC) we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. ³And even^(DD) if our gospel is veiled,^(DE) it is veiled only to^(DF) those who are perishing. ⁴In their case^(DG) the god of this world^(DH) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing^(DI) the light of^(DJ) the gospel of the glory of Christ,^(DK) who is the image of God. ⁵For what^(DL) we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with^(DM) ourselves as your servants^[n] for Jesus’ sake. ⁶For God, who said,^(DN) "Let light shine out of darkness,"^(DO) has shone in our hearts to give^(DP) the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Treasure in Jars of Clay

 ⁷But we have this treasure in^(DQ) jars of clay,^(DR) to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. ⁸We are^(DS) afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; ⁹persecuted, but^(DT) not forsaken;^(DU) struck down, but not destroyed; ^10(DV) always carrying in the body the death of Jesus,^(DW) so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. ¹¹For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. ¹²So^(DX) death is at work in us, but life in you.

 ¹³Since we have^(DY) the same spirit of faith according to what has been written,^(DZ) "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, ¹⁴knowing that^(EA) he who raised the Lord Jesus^(EB) will raise us also with Jesus and^(EC) bring us with you into his presence. ¹⁵For^(ED) it is all for your sake, so that as^(EE) grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving,^(EF) to the glory of God.

 ¹⁶So we do not lose heart.^(EG) Though our outer self^[o] is wasting away,^(EH) our inner self^(EI) is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For^(EJ) this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ^18(EK) as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.