1 But I determined this for myself, that I would not come again to you with sorrow.
2 For if I make you sorry, who then is he that maketh me glad but he that is made sorry by me?
3 And I wrote this very thing, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; having confidence in you all, that my joy is `the joy' of you all.
4 For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love that I have more abundantly unto you.
5 But if any hath caused sorrow, he hath caused sorrow, not to me, but in part (that I press not too heavily) to you all.
6 Sufficient to such a one is this punishment which was `inflicted' by the many;
7 so that contrariwise ye should rather forgive him and comfort him, lest by any means such a one should be swallowed up with his overmuch sorrow.
8 Wherefore I beseech you to confirm `your' love toward him.
9 For to this end also did I write, that I might know the proof of you, whether ye are obedient in all things.
10 But to whom ye forgive anything, I `forgive' also: for what I also have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, for your sakes `have I forgiven it' in the presence of Christ;
11 that no advantage may be gained over us by Satan: for we are not ignorant of his devices.
12 Now when I came to Troas for the gospel of Christ, and when a door was opened unto me in the Lord,
13 I had no relief for my spirit, because I found not Titus my brother: but taking my leave of them, I went forth into Macedonia.
14 But thanks be unto God, who always leadeth us in triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest through us the savor of his knowledge in every place.
15 For we are a sweet savor of Christ unto God, in them that are saved, and in them that perish;
16 to the one a savor from death unto death; to the other a savor from life unto life. And who is sufficient for these things?
17 For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paul addressing in 2 Corinthians chapter 2?
What does Paul mean that God 'causeth us to triumph in Christ' (v14)?
Who was the man Paul tells the church to forgive in this chapter (v5-8)?
Today's Verse
And Jacob was wroth, and chode with Laban: and Jacob answered and said to Laban, What is my trespass? what is my sin, that thou hast hotly pursued after me?
Verse Of The DayPaul warns that failing to forgive would let Satan gain an advantage, since believers must stay alert to his devices, much as Peter warns readers that their adversary the devil prowls about in 1 Peter 5:8. He closes by thanking God who always leads believers in Christ's triumph, a theme carried into 2 Corinthians 3.
