2 Corinthians 2:5-11

New Living Translation

Forgiveness for the Sinner

⁵I am not overstating it when I say that the man who caused all the trouble hurt all of you more than he hurt me. ⁶Most of you opposed him, and that was punishment enough. ⁷Now, however, it is time to forgive and comfort him. Otherwise he may be overcome by discouragement. ⁸So I urge you now to reaffirm your love for him.

⁹I wrote to you as I did to test you and see if you would fully comply with my instructions. ¹⁰When you forgive this man, I forgive him, too. And when I forgive whatever needs to be forgiven, I do so with Christ’s authority for your benefit, ¹¹so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes.

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2 Corinthians 2:5-11

Amplified Bible

⁵But if ^[a]someone has caused [all this] sorrow, he has caused it not to me, but in some degree—not to put it too severely—[he has distressed and grieved] all of you. ⁶For such a one this punishment by the majority is sufficient, ⁷so instead [of further rebuke, now] you should rather [graciously] forgive and comfort and encourage him, to keep him from being overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸Therefore I urge you to reinstate him in your affections and reaffirm your ^[b]love for him. ⁹For this was my purpose in writing, to see if you would stand the test, whether you are obedient and committed to following my instruction in all things. ¹⁰If you forgive anyone anything, I too forgive [that one]; and what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of [and with the approval of] Christ, ¹¹to keep Satan from taking advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.

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Footnotes

2 Corinthians 2:5 The incident and offender to which Paul is referring is unclear, but it may have involved some affront or challenge to Paul’s position or authority during his visit to Corinth.
2 Corinthians 2:8 The key to understanding this and other statements about love is to know that this love (the Greek word agape) is not so much a matter of emotion as it is of doing things for the benefit of another person, that is, having an unselfish concern for another and a willingness to seek the best for other believers.

2 Corinthians 2:5-11

New International Version

Forgiveness for the Offender

⁵If anyone has caused grief,^(A) he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent—not to put it too severely. ⁶The punishment^(B) inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. ⁷Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him,^(C) so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹Another reason I wrote you^(D) was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything.^(E) ¹⁰Anyone 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, ¹¹in order that Satan^(F) might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.^(G)