2 Corinthians 1-4 (Holman Christian Standard Bible)

2 Corinthians 1

Greeting

 ¹ Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God's will, ^(A) and Timothy ^(B) our ^[a] brother:

    To God's church at Corinth, ^(C) with all the saints who are throughout Achaia. ^(D)

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

   

The God of Comfort

 ³ Blessed ^(G) be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies ^(H) and the God of all comfort. ^{(I) 4} He comforts us in all our affliction, ^[b] so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any kind of affliction, through the comfort we ourselves receive from God. ⁵ For as the sufferings ^(J) of Christ ^(K) overflow to us, so our comfort overflows through Christ. ^{(L) 6} If we are afflicted, ^(M) it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is experienced in the endurance of the same sufferings that we suffer. ^{(N) 7} And our hope ^(O) for you is firm, because we know that as you share ^(P) in the sufferings, so you will share in the comfort.

    ⁸ For we don't want you to be unaware, brothers, of our affliction that took place in the province of Asia: ^(Q) we were completely overwhelmed—beyond our strength ^(R) —so that we even despaired ^(S) of life. ⁹ However, we personally had a death sentence within ourselves so that we would not trust in ourselves, but in God ^(T) who raises ^(U) the dead. ¹⁰ He has delivered ^(V) us from such a terrible death, ^(W) and He will deliver us; we have placed our hope in Him that He will deliver us again. ¹¹ And you can join in helping with prayer for us, so that thanks may be given by many ^[c] on our ^[d] behalf for the gift that came to us through [the prayers of] many.

   

A Clear Conscience

 ¹² For our boast is this: the testimony ^(X) of our conscience ^(Y) that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you, with God-given sincerity and purity, not by fleshly ^[e] wisdom ^(Z) but by God's grace. ^{(AA) 13} Now we are writing you nothing other than what you can read and also understand. I hope you will understand completely— ¹⁴ as you have partially understood us—that we are your reason for pride, ^(AB) as you are ours, ^(AC) in the day of our ^[f] Lord Jesus. ^(AD)

   

A Visit Postponed

 ¹⁵ In this confidence, I planned to come to you first, ^(AE) so you could have a double benefit, ^{[g] 16} and to go on to Macedonia ^(AF) with your help, then come to you again from Macedonia and be given a start by you ^(AG) on my journey ^(AH) to Judea. ^{(AI) 17} So when I planned this, was I irresponsible? Or what I plan, do I plan in a purely human ^{(AJ) [h]} way so that I say "Yes, yes" and "No, no" [simultaneously]? ¹⁸ As God is faithful, ^(AK) our message to you is not "Yes and no." ¹⁹ For the Son of God, ^(AL) Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us—by me and Silvanus ^{(AM) [i]} and Timothy—did not become "Yes and no"; on the contrary, "Yes" has come about in Him. ^{(AN) 20} For every one of God's promises ^(AO) is "Yes" in Him. Therefore the " Amen" ^(AP) is also through Him for God's glory ^(AQ) through us. ²¹ Now the One who confirms us with you in Christ, and has anointed ^(AR) us, is God; ²² He has also sealed us and given us the Spirit as a down payment ^(AS) in our hearts. ^(AT)

    ²³ I call on God as a witness ^(AU) against me: ^[j] it was to spare you that I did not come to Corinth. ^{(AV) 24} Not that we have control of ^[k] your faith, but we are workers with you for your joy, because you stand ^(AW) by faith.

2 Corinthians 2

 ¹ In fact, I made up my mind about this: ^[l] not to come to you on another painful visit. ^{[m] 2} For if I cause you pain, then who will cheer me other than the one hurt? ^{[n] 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 ^(AY) is yours. ^{[o] 4} For out of an extremely troubled and anguished heart I wrote to you with many tears—not that you should be hurt, but that you should know the abundant love I have for you.

   

A Sinner Forgiven

 ⁵ If anyone has caused pain, he has not caused pain to me, but in some degree—not to exaggerate ^(AZ) —to all of you. ⁶ The punishment by the majority is sufficient for such a person, ⁷ so now you should forgive ^(BA) and comfort him instead; otherwise, this one may be overwhelmed by excessive grief. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to confirm your love to him. ⁹ It was for this purpose I wrote: so I may know your proven character, ^(BB) if you are obedient ^(BC) in everything. ¹⁰ Now to whom you forgive anything, I do too. For what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, it is for you in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ so that we may not be taken advantage ^(BD) of by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his intentions. ^[p]

   

A Trip to Macedonia

 ¹² When I came to Troas ^(BE) for the gospel of Christ, a door ^(BF) was opened to me by the Lord. ¹³ I had no rest ^(BG) in my spirit because I did not find my brother Titus, ^(BH) but I said good-bye to them and left for Macedonia. ^(BI)

   

A Ministry of Life or Death

 ¹⁴ But thanks be to God, ^(BJ) who always puts us on display ^[q] in Christ, ^[r] and spreads through us in every place the scent of knowing Him. ^{(BK) 15} For to God we are the fragrance ^(BL) of Christ among those who are being saved ^(BM) and among those who are perishing. ^{(BN) 16} To some we are a scent of death ^(BO) leading to death, but to others, a scent of life ^(BP) leading to life. And who is competent for this? ¹⁷ For we are not like the many ^[s] who make a trade in God's message ^(BQ) [for profit], but as those with sincerity, we speak in Christ, as from God and before God.

2 Corinthians 3

Living Letters

 ¹ Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or like some, do we need letters of recommendation to you or from you? ² You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, recognized and read by everyone, ^{(BR) 3} since it is plain that you are Christ's letter, ^(BS) produced ^[t] by us, not written with ink but with the Spirit of the living God; ^(BT) not on stone tablets ^(BU) but on tablets that are hearts of flesh. ^(BV)

   

Paul's Competence

 ⁴ We have this kind of confidence toward God through Christ: ⁵ not that we are competent in ^[u] ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our competence is from God. ^{(BW) 6} He has made us competent to be ministers of a new covenant, ^(BX) not of the letter, ^(BY) but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit produces life.

   

New Covenant Ministry

 ⁷ Now if the ministry of death, chiseled in letters on stones, came with glory, ^(BZ) so that the sons of Israel were not able to look directly at Moses' face because of the glory from his face—a fading [glory]— ⁸ how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? ⁹ For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness overflows with even more glory. ¹⁰ In fact, what had been glorious is not glorious in this case because of the glory that surpasses it. ¹¹ For if what was fading away ^(CA) was glorious, what endures will be even more glorious.

    ¹² Therefore having such a hope, ^(CB) we use great boldness— ¹³ not like Moses, who used to put a veil over his face ^(CC) so that the sons of Israel could not look at the end of what was fading away. ¹⁴ But their minds were closed. ^{(CD) [v]} For to this day, at the reading of the old covenant, ^(CE) the same veil remains; it is not lifted, because it is set aside [only] in Christ. ^{(CF) 15} However, to this day, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, ¹⁶ but whenever a person turns ^(CG) to the Lord, the veil is removed. ^{(CH) 17} Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ We all, with unveiled faces, are reflecting ^{(CI) [w]} the glory of the Lord ^(CJ) and are being transformed ^(CK) into the same image ^(CL) from glory to glory; ^[x] this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. ^[y]

2 Corinthians 4

The Light of the Gospel

 ¹ Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, ^(CM) we do not give up. ^{(CN) 2} Instead, we have renounced shameful secret things, not walking ^(CO) in deceit or distorting God's message, ^(CP) but in God's sight we commend ourselves to every person's conscience by an open display of the truth. ^{(CQ) 3} But if, in fact, our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. ⁴ Regarding them: the god of this age ^(CR) has blinded the minds of the unbelievers so they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, ^{(CS) [z]} who is the image of God. ^{(CT) 5} For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, ^(CU) and ourselves as your slaves because of Jesus. ⁶ For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness" ^(CV) —He has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge ^(CW) of God's glory ^(CX) in the face of Jesus Christ.

   

Treasure in Clay Jars

 ⁷ Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power ^(CY) may be from God and not from us. ⁸ We are pressured in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; ⁹ we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. ¹⁰ We always carry the death of Jesus ^(CZ) in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. ¹¹ For we who live are always given over to death ^(DA) because of Jesus, so that Jesus' life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh. ¹² So death works in us, but life in you. ¹³ And since we have the same spirit of faith in accordance with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, ^{(DB) (DC)} we also believe, and therefore speak, ¹⁴ knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus, ^(DD) and present us with you. ¹⁵ For all this is because of you, so that grace, extended through more and more people, may cause thanksgiving ^(DE) to overflow to God's glory.

    ¹⁶ Therefore we do not give up; ^(DF) even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person ^(DG) is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our momentary light affliction ^{(DH) [aa]} is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. ^{(DI) 18} So we do not focus on what is seen, ^(DJ) but on what is unseen; for what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.