2 Corinthians 13
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Final Warnings and Exhortations
13 This is the third time I am coming to you.(A) Every fact must be established by the testimony[a] of two or three witnesses.(B)[b] 2 I gave a warning when I was present the second time, and now I give a warning(C) while I am absent to those who sinned before and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not be lenient, 3 since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me.(D) He is not weak toward you, but powerful among you. 4 In fact, He was crucified(E) in weakness, but He lives(F) by God’s power. For we also are weak in Him,(G) yet toward you we will live(H) with Him by God’s power.
5 Test(I) yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not recognize that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless you fail the test.[c] 6 And I hope you will recognize that we do not fail the test. 7 Now we pray to God that you do nothing wrong—not that we may appear to pass the test, but that you may do what is right,(J) even though we may appear to fail. 8 For we are not able to do anything against the truth,(K) but only for the truth. 9 In fact, we rejoice when we are weak and you are strong.(L) We also pray that you become fully mature.[d] 10 This is why I am writing these things while absent, that when I am there I will not use severity, in keeping with the authority the Lord gave me for building up(M) and not for tearing down.(N)
11 Finally, brothers, rejoice. Become mature, be encouraged, be of the same mind,(O) be at peace,(P) and the God of love(Q) and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another with a holy kiss.(R) All the saints greet you.
13 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love(S) of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.[e](T)
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 Lit mouth
- 2 Corinthians 13:1 Dt 17:6; 19:15
- 2 Corinthians 13:5 Or you are disqualified, or you are counterfeit
- 2 Corinthians 13:9 Or become complete, or be restored
- 2 Corinthians 13:13 Some translations divide these 2 vv. into 3 vv. so that v. 13 begins with All the saints . . . and v. 14 begins with The grace of . . .
2 Corinthians 13
English Standard Version
Final Warnings
13 (A)This is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established (B)by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 (C)I warned (D)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 (E)if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ (F)is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but (G)is powerful among you. 4 For (H)he was crucified in weakness, but (I)lives by the power of God. For (J)we also are weak in him, but in dealing with you (K)we will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. (L)Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that (M)Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when (N)we are weak and you are strong. Your (O)restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come (P)I may not have to be (Q)severe in my use of (R)the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers,[a] rejoice. (S)Aim for restoration, comfort one another,[b] (T)agree with one another, (U)live in peace; and the God of love and (V)peace will be with you. 12 (W)Greet one another with a holy kiss. 13 (X)All the saints greet you.
14 (Y)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and (Z)the love of God and (AA)the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 13:11 Or brothers and sisters
- 2 Corinthians 13:11 Or listen to my appeal
2 Corinthians 13
The Message
He’s Alive Now!
13 1-4 Well, this is my third visit coming up. Remember the Scripture that says, “A matter becomes clear after two or three witnesses give evidence”? On my second visit I warned that bunch that keeps sinning over and over in the same old ways that when I came back I wouldn’t go easy on them. Now, preparing for the third, I’m saying it again from a distance. If you haven’t changed your ways by the time I get there, look out. You who have been demanding proof that Christ speaks through me will get more than you bargained for. You’ll get the full force of Christ, don’t think you won’t. He was sheer weakness and humiliation when he was killed on the cross, but oh, he’s alive now—in the mighty power of God! We weren’t much to look at, either, when we were humiliated among you, but when we deal with you this next time, we’ll be alive in Christ, strengthened by God.
5-9 Test yourselves to make sure you are solid in the faith. Don’t drift along taking everything for granted. Give yourselves regular checkups. You need firsthand evidence, not mere hearsay, that Jesus Christ is in you. Test it out. If you fail the test, do something about it. I hope the test won’t show that we have failed. But if it comes to that, we’d rather the test showed our failure than yours. We’re rooting for the truth to win out in you. We couldn’t possibly do otherwise.
We don’t just put up with our limitations; we celebrate them, and then go on to celebrate every strength, every triumph of the truth in you. We pray hard that it will all come together in your lives.
10 I’m writing this to you now so that when I come I won’t have to say another word on the subject. The authority the Master gave me is for putting people together, not taking them apart. I want to get on with it, and not have to spend time on reprimands.
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11-13 And that’s about it, friends. Be cheerful. Keep things in good repair. Keep your spirits up. Think in harmony. Be agreeable. Do all that, and the God of love and peace will be with you for sure. Greet one another with a holy embrace. All the brothers and sisters here say hello.
14 The amazing grace of the Master, Jesus Christ, the extravagant love of God, the intimate friendship of the Holy Spirit, be with all of you.
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