Psalm 38^[a]

A psalm of David. A petition.

²⁵ After you have had children and grandchildren and have lived in the land a long time—if you then become corrupt^(A) and make any kind of idol,^(B) doing evil^(C) in the eyes of the Lord your God and arousing his anger, ²⁶ I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses^(D) against you^(E) this day that you will quickly perish^(F) from the land that you are crossing the Jordan to possess. You will not live there long but will certainly be destroyed. ²⁷ The Lord will scatter^(G) you among the peoples, and only a few of you will survive^(H) among the nations to which the Lord will drive you. ²⁸ There you will worship man-made gods^(I) of wood and stone,^(J) which cannot see or hear or eat or smell.^{(K) 29} But if from there you seek^(L) the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart^(M) and with all your soul.^{(N) 30} When you are in distress^(O) and all these things have happened to you, then in later days^(P) you will return^(Q) to the Lord your God and obey him. ³¹ For the Lord your God is a merciful^(R) God; he will not abandon^(S) or destroy^(T) you or forget^(U) the covenant with your ancestors, which he confirmed to them by oath.

²³ I call God as my witness^(A)—and I stake my life on it—that it was in order to spare you^(B) that I did not return to Corinth. ²⁴ Not that we lord it over^(C) your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.^(D) 2 ¹ So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you.^{(E) 2} For if I grieve you,^(F) who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? ³ I wrote as I did,^(G) so that when I came I would not be distressed^(H) by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence^(I) in all of you, that you would all share my joy. ⁴ For I wrote you^(J) out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.

Forgiveness for the Offender

⁵ If anyone has caused grief,^(K) 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^(L) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷ Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,^(M) 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^(N) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.^{(O) 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^(P) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.^(Q)

Ministers of the New Covenant

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

¹⁴ But thanks be to God,^(X) who always leads us as captives in Christ’s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma^(Y) of the knowledge^(Z) of him everywhere. ¹⁵ For we are to God the pleasing aroma^(AA) of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing.^{(AB) 16} To the one we are an aroma that brings death;^(AC) to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task?^{(AD) 17} Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit.^(AE) On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity,^(AF) as those sent from God.^(AG)

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons.^{(A) 12} The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’^(B) So he divided his property^(C) between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth^(D) in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs.^{(E) 16} He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned^(F) against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.^(G)

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.^(H) I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe^(I) and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger^(J) and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again;^(K) he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.^(L)

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry^(M) and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property^(N) with prostitutes^(O) comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. ³² But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’”^(P)