²¹ What do you wish? ^(A)Shall I come to you with a rod, or with love in a spirit of gentleness?

^2 (A)I warned ^(B)those who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that ^(C)if I come again I will not spare them—

⁷ But we were ^(A)gentle^[a] among you, ^(B)like a nursing mother taking care of her own children.

¹⁰ For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come ^(A)I may not have to be ^(B)severe in my use of ^(C)the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

²⁰ For I fear that perhaps ^(A)when I come I may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be quarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. ²¹ I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those ^(B)who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, ^(C)sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

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, ^(A)for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all.

²³ But ^(A)I call God to witness against me—it was ^(B)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth.

¹⁷ But ^(A)the wisdom from above is first pure, then ^(B)peaceable, gentle, open to reason, ^(C)full of mercy and good fruits, ^(D)impartial and ^(E)sincere.

^6 (A)being ready to punish every disobedience, ^(B)when your obedience is complete.

Paul Defends His Ministry

10 ^(A)I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the ^(B)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— ² I beg of you ^(C)that when I am present I may not have to show ^(D)boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh.