Bible Gateway passage: Psalm 11, 2 Corinthians 5:11-21 - English Standard Version (2024)

The Lord Is in His Holy Temple

To the choirmaster. Of David.

11In the Lord I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
^(A)“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
²for behold, the wicked ^(B)bend the bow;
^(C)they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
³if ^(D)the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?”^[a]

^4(E)The Lord is in his holy temple;
the Lord's ^(F)throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids ^(G)test the children of man.
⁵The Lord ^(H)tests the righteous,
but ^(I)his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
⁶Let him rain coals on the wicked;
^(J)fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be ^(K)the portion of their cup.
⁷For the Lord is righteous;
he ^(L)loves righteous deeds;
^(M)the upright shall behold his face.

The Ministry of Reconciliation

¹¹Therefore, knowing ^(A)the fear of the Lord, we persuade others. But ^(B)what we are is known to God, and I hope it is known also to your conscience. ^12(C)We are not commending ourselves to you again but ^(D)giving you cause to boast about us, so that you may be able to answer those who boast about outward appearance and not about what is in the heart. ¹³For if we ^(E)are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴For the love of Christ ^(F)controls us, because we have concluded this: that ^(G)one has died for all, therefore all have died; ¹⁵and he died for all, ^(H)that those who live might no longer live for themselves but ^(I)for him who for their sake died and was raised.

¹⁶From now on, therefore, ^(J)we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer. ¹⁷Therefore, if anyone is ^(K)in Christ, he is ^(L)a new creation.^{[a] (M)}The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. ¹⁸All this is from God, ^(N)who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us ^(O)the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling^[b] the world to himself, ^(P)not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us ^(Q)the message of reconciliation. ²⁰Therefore, ^(R)we are ambassadors for Christ, ^(S)God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ^21(T)For our sake he made him to be sin ^(U)who knew no sin, so that in him we might become ^(V)the righteousness of God.

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