2 Corinthians 12:14-13

New King James Version

Love for the Church

^14 (A)Now for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for ^(B)I do not seek yours, but you. ^(C)For the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ¹⁵ And I will very gladly spend and be spent ^(D)for your souls; though ^(E)the more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

¹⁶ But be that as it may, ^(F)I did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning! ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? ¹⁸ I urged Titus, and sent our ^(G)brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?

^19 (H)Again, ^[a]do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? ^(I)We speak before God in Christ. ^(J)But we do all things, beloved, for your edification. ²⁰ For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that ^(K)I shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; ²¹ lest, when I come again, my God ^(L)will humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many ^(M)who have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, ^(N)fornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Coming with Authority

13 This will be ^(O)the third time I am coming to you. ^(P)“By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” ^2 (Q)I have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent ^[b]I write to those ^(R)who have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again ^(S)I will not spare— ³ since you seek a proof of Christ ^(T)speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but mighty ^(U)in you. ^4 (V)For though He was crucified in weakness, yet ^(W)He lives by the power of God. For ^(X)we also are weak in Him, but we shall live with Him by the power of God toward you.

⁵ Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, ^(Y)that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you ^[c]are ^(Z)disqualified. ⁶ But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Paul Prefers Gentleness

⁷ Now ^[d]I pray to God that you do no evil, not that we should appear approved, but that you should do what is honorable, though ^(AA)we may seem disqualified. ⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth. ⁹ For we are glad ^(AB)when we are weak and you are strong. And this also we pray, ^(AC)that you may be made complete. ^10 (AD)Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should use sharpness, according to the ^(AE)authority which the Lord has given me for edification and not for destruction.

Greetings and Benediction

¹¹ Finally, brethren, farewell. Become complete. ^(AF)Be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love ^(AG)and peace will be with you.

^12 (AH)Greet one another with a holy kiss.

¹³ All the saints greet you.

^14 (AI)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and ^(AJ)the ^[e]communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.