2 Coríntios 2

¹ But I determined this with myself, that I would not come again to you inCausing grief among you, which he would have done if he had come to them before they had repented.heaviness.

² For if I make you sorie, who is he then that shoulde make me glad, but ye same which is made sorie by me?

³ And I wrote this same unto you, lest, when I came, I should have sorrow from them of whom I ought to rejoice; havingFor I trusted that you would immediately take that out of the way which you knew I was discontented with, considering how you are persuaded that my joy is your joy.confidence in you all, that my joy is [the joy] of you all.

⁴ For in great affliction, & anguish of heart I wrote vnto you with many teares: not that yee should be made sorie, but that ye might perceiue the loue which I haue, specially vnto you.

⁵ He passes to another part of this epistle: which nonetheless is put among the first, and to which he returns afterwards: and he handles the releasing and unloosing of the incestuous person, because he seemed to have been given sufficient testimony of his repentance. And this shows the true use of excommunication, that is, that it proceeds not from hatred, but from love, and so end, lest if we keep it up, we serve Satan the devil.But if any have caused grief, he hath notAs if he said, «All that sorrow is so completely wiped away, that I have never felt it.»grieved me, butAs for me, says Paul, I have no more to do with him.in part: that I may notLest I should overcharge him who is burdened enough as it is, which burden I would be glad if it were taken from him.overcharge you all.

⁶ It is sufficient vnto the same man, that hee was rebuked of many.

⁷ So that contrariwise ye [ought] rather toThat whereas before you punished him sharply, you should now forgive him.forgive [him], and comfort [him], lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

⁸ Wherefore I beseech you that ye wouldThat at my entreaty you would declare by the consent of the whole church, that you take him again as a brother.confirm [your] love toward him.

⁹ For this cause also did I write, that I might knowe the proofe of you, whether yee would be obedient in all things.

¹⁰ To whom ye forgive any thing, I [forgive] also: for if I forgave any thing, to whom I forgave [it], for your sakes [forgave I it] in theTruly, and from the heart.person of Christ;

¹¹ Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of hisOf his mischievous counsel and devilish will.devices.

¹² He returns to the confirmation of his apostleship, and brings forth both the testimonies of his labours, and also of God's blessing.Furthermore, when I came to Troas to [preach] Christ's gospel, and a door was opened unto me of the Lord,

¹³ I had no rest in my spirit, because I founde not Titus my brother, but tooke my leaue of them, and went away into Macedonia.

¹⁴ Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest theHe alludes to the anointing of the priests, and the incense of the sacrifices.savour of his knowledge by us in every place.

¹⁵ He denies that anything should be taken away from the dignity of his apostleship, because they saw that it was not received with like success in every place. But rather very many rejected and detested him, seeing that he preached Christ not only as a saviour of those that believe, but also as a judge of those that condemn him.For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

¹⁶ To the one [we are] the savour of death unto death; and to the other the savour of life unto life.Again, he dismisses all suspicion of arrogance, attributing all things that he did to the power of God, whom he serves sincerely, and with honest affection. And he makes them witnesses of this, even to the sixth verse of the next chapter (2Co_2:17; 2Co_3:6).And who [is] sufficient for these things?

¹⁷ For we are not as many, whichWe do not handle it craftily and covetously, or less sincerely than we ought. And he uses a metaphor, which is taken from hucksters, who used to play the false harlot with whatever came into their hands.corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ.