Book of Common Prayer

²³ And I call-upon God as witness for my soul that sparing^[a] you I no longer came to Corinth— ²⁴ not that we are lording-over your faith, but we are fellow-workers of ^[b] your joy. For you stand in^[c] your faith^[d].

For I Did Not Want My Coming To Cause You Grief, So I Wrote To You Instead

2 For I determined this for myself: not to come to you again^[e] in grief. ² For if I grieve you, who indeed is the one cheering me except the one being grieved by me? ³ And I wrote this very^[f] thing in order that having come, I should not have grief from the ones of whom I ought-to-have rejoicing— having confidence in you all that my joy^[g] is the joy of you all.

I Wrote To You In Anguish Not To Grieve You, But Out of Love For You

⁴ For I wrote to you through many tears, out of much affliction and anguish of heart— not that you might be grieved, but that you might know the love which I have especially for you. ⁵ But^[h] if anyone has caused-grief, he has grieved not me, but in part^[i] (that I not be a burden^[j]), you all. ⁶ This^[k] punishment by the majority is sufficient^[l] for such a one, ⁷ so that on-the-contrary^[m], instead you should forgive and comfort him, that such a one should not somehow be swallowed-up by more grief. ⁸ Therefore I urge you to confirm^[n] your love for him.

I Also Wrote To Test Your Obedience To God

⁹ For I also wrote for this purpose: that I might know your approvedness, whether you are obedient in all things. ¹⁰ And to whom you are forgiving anything, I also. For indeed what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, is for your sakes in the presence of Christ, ¹¹ in order that we may not be exploited by Satan. For we are not unaware as to his schemes.

You Priests Are Like Farmers Who Killed The Owner’s Messengers And His Son

12 And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit [for a wine press] and built a tower. And he rented it to farmers and went-on-a-journey. ² And he sent forth a slave to the farmers at the harvest time in order that he might receive from the fruits of the vineyard from the farmers. ³ And having taken him, they beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. ⁴ And again he sent-forth another slave to them. And that one they struck-on-the-head, and dishonored. ⁵ And he sent forth another— and that one they killed— and many others, they beating some and killing others. ⁶ He was still having one to send: a beloved son. He sent him forth to them last, saying that ‘They will have-regard-for my son’. ⁷ But those farmers said to themselves that ‘This one is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours’. ⁸ And having taken him, they killed him and threw him outside of the vineyard. ⁹ Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the farmers, and give the vineyard to others.

But As The Psalm Says, The Stone The Builders Rejected Became The Cornerstone

¹⁰ Did you not even read this Scripture [in Ps 118:22-23]: ‘The stone which the ones building rejected, this became the head of the corner^[a]. ¹¹ This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”