Beginning

5 ¶ For we know that if the earthly house of this our habitation were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

² For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven,

³ if so be that we shall be found clothed and not naked.

⁴ For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened, for we do not desire to be unclothed, but to be clothed upon with life swallowing up that which is mortal.

⁵ Now he that has made us for this same thing is God, who has likewise given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.

⁶ Therefore we are always confident, knowing that while we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord

⁷ (for we walk by faith, not by sight).

⁸ We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

⁹ Therefore we also procure, whether present or absent, that we may please him.

¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ that each one may receive according to that which they have done in the body, good or evil.

¹¹ Therefore being certain of that terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God, and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.

¹² ¶ For we do not commend ourselves again unto you, but give you occasion to glory on our behalf that ye may have something to answer those who glory in appearance, and not in heart.

¹³ For whether we are fools, it is unto God; or whether we are sane, it is for your cause.

¹⁴ For the charity of the Christ constrains us because we judge thus: that if one died for all, then all are dead:

¹⁵ And that he died for all that those who live should not live from now on unto themselves, but unto him who died and rose again for them.

¹⁶ ¶ Therefore from now on we know no one according to the flesh: and even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him no longer.

¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: old things are passed away; behold, all things are made new.

¹⁸ And all this by God, who reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;

¹⁹ for certainly God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them and having placed in us the word of reconciliation.

²⁰ Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did exhort you by us; we beseech you in Christ’s name, be ye reconciled to God.

²¹ For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

6 ¶ We then, as workers together with him, exhort you also that ye have not received the grace of God in vain.

² (For he saith, I have heard thee in an acceptable time, and in the day of saving health I have succoured thee; behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of saving health.)

³ Giving no offense in anything, that the ministry not be blamed,

⁴ But in all things showing ourselves as the ministers of God in much patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in distresses,

⁵ in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings,

⁶ in chastity, in knowledge, in meekness, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in unfeigned charity,

⁷ in the word of truth, in the power of God through the weapons of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,

⁸ through honour and dishonour, through evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet as men of the truth;

⁹ as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, but, behold, we live; as chastened, but not killed;

¹⁰ as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.

¹¹ ¶ O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.

¹² Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.

¹³ Now for a recompense in the same (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged.

¹⁴ Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, for what fellowship does righteousness have with unrighteousness? and what communion does light have with darkness?

¹⁵ And what concord does Christ have with Belial? or what part do the faithful have with the unfaithful?

¹⁶ And what agreement does the temple of God have with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them and walk in them and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

¹⁷ Therefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and do not touch the unclean thing; and I will receive you

¹⁸ and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

7 ¶ Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

² Receive us; we have wronged no man, we have corrupted no man, we have defrauded no man.

³ I speak this not to condemn you, for I have said before that ye are in our hearts to die and live together with us.

⁴ Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying of you; I am filled with comfort, I am exceeding joyful in all our tribulation.

⁵ ¶ For, when we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.

⁶ Nevertheless God, who comforts the humble, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

⁷ and not by his coming only, but by the consolation with which he was comforted in you when he told us your earnest desire, your mourning, your zeal for me so that I rejoiced the more.

⁸ For though I made you sorry with a letter, I do not repent, though I did repent; for I perceive that the same epistle has made you sorry, though it were but for a season.

⁹ Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance; for ye were made sorry by God that ye might suffer no loss by us.

¹⁰ For godly sorrow works repentance to salvation, of which there is no need to repented; but the sorrow of the world works death.

¹¹ For behold this same thing, that when ye were made sorry by God, what carefulness it wrought in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things ye have shown yourselves to be clean in this matter.

¹² ¶ So that, though I wrote unto you, I did it not only for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

¹³ Therefore we were comforted in your comfort; yea, and we rejoiced even more exceedingly for the joy of Titus, because his spirit was refreshed by you all.

¹⁴ For if I have gloried of anything to him of you, I am not ashamed; but as we spoke all things to you in truth, even so our glorying, which I made before Titus, was found true.

¹⁵ And his inward affection is more abundant toward you while he remembers the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye received him.

¹⁶ I rejoice therefore that I have confidence in you in all things.

8 ¶ Likewise, brethren, we make known unto you the grace of God bestowed on the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} of Macedonia,

² how that in a great trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.

³ For to their power, I bear record, and even beyond their power they were willing of themselves,

⁴ praying us with much intreaty that we would receive the grace and take upon us the fellowship of the ministry to the saints.

⁵ And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord and then unto us by the will of God.

⁶ Insomuch that we exhorted Titus, that as he had begun, so he would also complete among you the same grace also.

⁷ ¶ Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith and in word and in knowledge and in all diligence and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.

⁸ I speak not as commanding, but by occasion of the diligence of others and to prove the sincerity of your charity.

⁹ For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor that ye through his poverty might be enriched.

¹⁰ And in this I give my advice, for this is expedient for you, who began not only to do, but also to be diligent a year ago.

¹¹ Now therefore finish the doing of it that as there was a readiness to will, so there may also be a performance out of that which ye have.

¹² For if there is first a willing desire, it is accepted according to what a person has and not according to what they do not have.

¹³ For I mean not that others be eased and ye burdened,

¹⁴ but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want that their abundance also may be a supply for your want, that there may be equality:

¹⁵ As it is written, He that had gathered much had nothing over, and he that had gathered little had no lack.

¹⁶ ¶ But thanks be to God, who put the same diligence into the heart of Titus for you.

¹⁷ For indeed he accepted the exhortation, but being more diligent, of his own accord he went unto you.

¹⁸ And we have sent with him the brother whose praise is in the gospel throughout all the congregations, {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}

¹⁹ and not that only, but who was also ordained by the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} to travel with us with this grace, which is administered by us to the glory of the same Lord and declaration of your ready desire,

²⁰ avoiding that anyone should blame us regarding this abundance which is ministered by us,

²¹ providing for honest things, not only in the sight of the Lord, but also in the sight of men.

²² And we have sent with them our brother, whom we have oftentimes proved diligent in many things, but now much more diligent, upon the great confidence which we have in you.

²³ Regarding Titus, he is my partner and fellowhelper concerning you; or regarding our brethren, they are the apostles of the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} and the glory of Christ.

²⁴ Therefore show ye unto them before the congregations, {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones} the proof of your charity and of our glorying regarding you.

9 ¶ For regarding the ministering to the saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you:

² For I know your ready desire, for which I gloried of you to those of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago, and your zeal has provoked many.

³ Yet I have sent the brethren lest our glorying of you should be in vain in this behalf; that, as I said, ye may be ready,

⁴ lest haply if those of Macedonia come with me and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed of this our confidence.

⁵ Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort the brethren, that they would first go unto you and prepare beforehand your blessing, of which ye had given notice before that the same might be ready as a blessing, and not as of covetousness.

⁶ ¶ But this I say, He who sows sparingly shall reap also sparingly, and he who sows in blessings shall also reap blessings.

⁷ Each one according as they purpose in their heart, so let them give, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.

⁸ And God is able to make all grace abound in you that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:

⁹ As it is written, He has dispersed abroad; he has given to the poor; his righteousness remains for ever.

¹⁰ Now he that supplies seed to the sower shall also supply bread for food and shall multiply your seed sown and shall increase the growing of the fruits of your righteousness,

¹¹ so that being enriched in everything to all generosity, which works out through us thanksgiving unto God.

¹² For the administration of this service not only supplies the needs of the saints, but also abounds in much thanksgiving unto God;

¹³ that by the experience of this ministration, they glorify God for the obedience of your consent unto the gospel of the Christ and in your liberal distribution unto them and unto everyone,

¹⁴ and in their prayer for you, for they love you because of the eminent grace of God in you.

¹⁵ Thanks be unto God for his indescribable gift.