13
I come to you this third time; on the mouth of two or three witnesses will every saying be established; I have said before, and I say [it] before, as being present, the second time, and being absent, now, I write to those having sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again, I will not spare, since you seek a proof of the Christ speaking in me, who is not weak to you, but is powerful in you, for even if He was crucified from weakness, yet He lives from the power of God; for we also are weak in Him, but we will live with Him from the power of God toward you. Try yourselves, if you are in the faith; prove yourselves; do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you, if you are not disapproved of in some respect? And I hope that you will know that we are not disapproved of; and I pray before God that you do no evil, not that we may appear approved, but that you may do that which is right, and we may be as disapproved; for we are not able to do anything against the truth, but for the truth; for we rejoice when we may be weak, but you may be powerful; and we also pray for this—your perfection! 10 Because of this, these things—being absent—I write, that being present, I may not treat [any] sharply, according to the authority that the LORD gave me for building up, and not for casting down. 11 From now on, brothers, rejoice; be made perfect, be comforted, be of the same mind, be at peace, and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 Greet one another in a holy kiss. 13 All the holy ones greet you. 14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, [is] with you all! Amen.