2 Corinthians 1:23-2:17

English Standard Version

²³But ^(A)I call God to witness against me—it was ^(B)to spare you that I refrained from coming again to Corinth. ²⁴Not that we ^(C)lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, for you stand firm ^(D)in your faith.

2 For I made up my mind ^(E)not to make another painful visit to you. ²For ^(F)if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? ³And I wrote as I did, so that when I came I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice, ^(G)for I felt sure of all of you, that my joy would be the joy of you all. ⁴For ^(H)I wrote to you out of much affliction and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.

Forgive the Sinner

⁵Now ^(I)if anyone has caused pain, ^(J)he has caused it not to me, but ^(K)in some measure—not to put it too severely—to all of you. ⁶For such a one, ^(L)this punishment by the majority is enough, ⁷so ^(M)you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. ⁸So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. ⁹For this is why I wrote, that I might ^(N)test you and know ^(O)whether you are obedient in everything. ¹⁰Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, ¹¹so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for ^(P)we are not ignorant of his designs.

Triumph in Christ

¹²When ^(Q)I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though ^(R)a door was opened for me in the Lord, ¹³my spirit ^(S)was not at rest because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I took leave of them and went on to Macedonia.

¹⁴But ^(T)thanks be to God, who in Christ always ^(U)leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads ^(V)the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere. ¹⁵For we are the aroma of Christ to God among ^(W)those who are being saved and among ^(X)those who are perishing, ¹⁶^(Y)to one a fragrance from death to death, ^(Z)to the other a fragrance from life to life. ^(AA)Who is sufficient for these things? ¹⁷For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God's word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.