Beginning
5 We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human[a] hands. 2 For in this one we sigh, since we long to put on our heavenly dwelling. 3 Of course, if we do put it on, we will not be found without a body.[b] 4 So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life. 5 God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit as a guarantee.
6 Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord. 9 So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him. 10 For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah,[c] so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless.[d]
The Messiah’s Love Controls Us
11 Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. 12 We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character.[e] 13 So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you. 14 The love of the Messiah[f] controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. 15 He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them.
16 So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view.[g] Even if we did think of the Messiah[h] from a human point of view,[i] we don’t think of him that way anymore. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah,[j] he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new!
18 All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah[k] and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 for through the Messiah,[l] God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. 20 Therefore, we are the Messiah’s[m] representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah’s[n] behalf: “Be reconciled to God!” 21 God[o] made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God’s righteousness would be produced in us.[p]
Workers with God
6 Since, then, we are working with God,[q] we plead with you not to accept God’s grace in vain. 2 For he says,
“At the right time I heard you,
and on a day of salvation I helped you.”[r]
Listen, now is really the “right time”! Now is the “day of salvation”!
We are God’s Servants
3 We do not put an obstacle in anyone’s way. Otherwise, fault may be found with our ministry. 4 Instead, in every way we demonstrate that we are God’s servants by tremendous endurance in the midst of difficulties, hardships, and calamities; 5 in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger; 6 with purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; with the Holy Spirit, genuine love, 7 truthful speech, and divine power; through the weapons of righteousness in the right and left hands; 8 through honor and dishonor; through ill repute and good repute; perceived[s] as deceivers and yet true, 9 as unknown and yet well-known, as dying and yet—as you see—very much alive, as punished and yet not killed, 10 as sorrowful and yet always rejoicing, as poor and yet enriching many, as having nothing and yet possessing everything.
11 We have spoken frankly[t] to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are wide open. 12 We have not cut you off, but you have cut off your own feelings toward us. 13 Do us a favor—I ask you as my children—and open wide your hearts.
Relating with Unbelievers
14 Stop becoming[u] unevenly yoked with unbelievers. What partnership can righteousness have with lawlessness? What fellowship can light have with darkness? 15 What harmony exists between the Messiah[v] and Beliar,[w] or what do a believer and an unbeliever have in common? 16 What agreement can a temple of God make with idols? For we[x] are the temple of the living God, just as God said:
“I will live and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.”[y]
17 Therefore,
“Get away from them
and separate yourselves from them,”
declares the Lord,[z]
“and don’t touch anything unclean.
Then I will welcome you.
18 I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,”
declares the Lord[aa] Almighty.[ab]
Cleanse Yourselves in Holiness
7 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let’s cleanse ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit by becoming mature in our holy fear of God.
Encouraged by the Corinthians
2 Make room for us in your hearts![ac] We have not treated anyone unjustly, harmed anyone, or cheated anyone. 3 I am not saying this to condemn you. I told you before that you are in our hearts to die together and to live together. 4 I have great confidence in you. I am very proud of you. I am very much encouraged. I am overjoyed in all our troubles.
5 For even when we came to Macedonia, our bodies had no rest. We suffered in a number of ways. Outwardly there were conflicts, inwardly there were fears. 6 Yet God, who comforts those who feel miserable, comforted us by the arrival of Titus, 7 and not only by his arrival but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing for me, your sorrow, and your eagerness to take my side, and this made me even happier.
8 If I made you sad with my letter, I do not regret it, although I did regret it then. I see that the letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while. 9 Now I am happy, not because you had such sorrow, but because your sorrow led you to repent. For you were sorry in a godly way, and so you were not hurt by us in any way. 10 For having sorrow in a godly way results in repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regrets. But the sorrow of the world produces death.
11 See what great earnestness godly sorrow has produced in you! How ready you are to clear yourselves, how indignant, how alarmed, how full of longing and enthusiasm, how eager to seek justice! In every way you have demonstrated that you are innocent in this matter. 12 So, even though I wrote to you, it wasn’t because of the man who did the wrong or because of the man who was hurt. Instead, I wrote to you so that your devotion to us might be made perfectly clear to you before God.
13 This is what comforted us. In addition to our own comfort, we were even more delighted at the joy of Titus, because his spirit had been set at rest by all of you. 14 For if I have been doing some boasting about you to him, I have never been ashamed of it. Moreover, since everything we told you was true, our boasting to Titus has also proved to be true. 15 His affection for you is even greater as he remembers how obedient all of you were and how you welcomed him with fear and trembling. 16 I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.
The Collection for the Christians in Jerusalem
8 We want you to know, brothers, about God’s grace that was given to the churches of Macedonia. 2 In spite of their terrible ordeal of suffering, their abundant joy and deep poverty have led them to be abundantly generous. 3 I can testify that by their own free will they have given to the utmost of their ability, yes, even beyond their ability. 4 They begged us earnestly for the privilege[ad] of participating in this ministry to the saints. 5 We did not expect that! They gave themselves to the Lord first and then to us, since this was God’s will. 6 So we urged Titus to finish this work of kindness[ae] among you in the same way that he had started it. 7 Indeed, the more your faith, speech, knowledge, enthusiasm, and love for us increase, the more we want you to be rich in this work of kindness.[af]
8 I am not commanding you but testing the genuineness of your love by the enthusiasm of others. 9 For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.[ag] Although he was rich, for your sakes he became poor, so that you, through his poverty, might become rich.
10 I am giving you my opinion on this matter because it will be helpful to you. Last year you were not only willing to do something, but had already started to do it. 11 Now finish what you began, so that your eagerness to do so may be matched by your eagerness[ah] to complete it. 12 For if the eagerness is there, the gift[ai] is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you do not have.
13 Not that others should have relief while you have hardship. Rather, it is a question of fairness. 14 At the present time, your surplus fills their need, so that their surplus may fill your need. In this way things are fair. 15 As it is written,
“The person who had much did not have too much,
and the person who had little did not have too little.”[aj]
Titus and His Companions
16 But thanks be to God, who placed in the heart of Titus the same dedication to you that I have. 17 He welcomed my request and eagerly went to visit you by his own free will. 18 With him we have sent the brother who is praised in all the churches for spreading the gospel.[ak] 19 More than that, he has also been selected by the churches to travel with us while we are administering this work of kindness[al] for the glory of the Lord and as evidence of our eagerness to help.[am] 20 We are trying to avoid any criticism of the way we are administering this great undertaking. 21 We intend to do what is right, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of people.
22 We have also sent with them our brother whom we have often tested in many ways and found to be dedicated. At present he is more dedicated than ever because he has so much confidence in you.
23 As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker on your behalf. Our brothers, emissaries[an] from the churches, are bringing glory to the Messiah.[ao] 24 Therefore, demonstrate to the churches that you love them and show them publicly why we boast about you.
Why Giving is Important
9 I do not need to write to you any further about the ministry to the saints. 2 For I know how willing you are, and I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying[ap] that Achaia has been ready since last year, and your enthusiasm has stimulated most of them. 3 Now I have sent the brothers so that our boasting about you in this matter may not prove to be an idle boast, and so that you may stand ready, just as I said. 4 Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find out that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—in this undertaking. 5 Therefore, I thought it necessary to urge these brothers to visit you ahead of me, to make arrangements in advance for this gift you promised, and to have it ready as something given generously and not forced.
6 Remember[aq] this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you must give what you have decided in your heart, not with regret or under compulsion, since God loves a cheerful giver. 8 Besides, God is able to make every blessing of yours overflow for you, so that in every situation you will always have all you need for any good work. 9 As it is written,
“He scatters everywhere and gives to the poor;
his righteousness lasts forever.”[ar]
10 Now he who supplies seed to the farmer and bread to eat will also supply you with seed and multiply it and enlarge the harvest that results from your righteousness. 11 In every way you will grow richer and become even more generous, and this will cause others to give thanks to God because of us, 12 since this ministry you render is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, it is also overflowing with more and more prayers of thanksgiving to God. 13 Because your service in giving proves your love,[as] you will be glorifying God as you obey what your confession of the Messiah’s[at] gospel demands,[au] since you are generous in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14 And so in their prayers for you they will long for you because of God’s exceptional grace that was shown to you. 15 Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!
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