Beginning

Earthly Tents, Eternal Dwellings

5 For we know that if the tent, our earthly home, is torn down, we have a building from God—a home not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens. ² For in this we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling— ³ if indeed, after we have put it on, we will not be found naked. ⁴ For we groan while we are in this tent—burdened because we don’t want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. ⁵ Now the One who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave us the Ruach as a pledge. ⁶ Therefore we are always confident and know 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 prefer rather to be absent from the body and at home with the Lord. ⁹ So whether at home or absent, we make it our aim to be pleasing to Him. ¹⁰ For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Messiah, so that each one may receive what is due for the things he did while in the body—whether good or bad.

Ambassadors for Messiah

¹¹ Therefore, knowing the fear of the Lord,^[a] we are trying to persuade people, but what we are is known to God—and I hope it is known to your consciences as well. ¹² For we are not commending ourselves to you again, but giving you an opportunity for boasting about us, so that you may have something to answer those who boast in outward appearance and not in the heart. ^{[b] 13} For if we are out of our minds, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. ¹⁴ For the love of Messiah compels us, since we have concluded that One died for all; as a result all died. ¹⁵ And He died for all so that those who live might no longer live for themselves, but for the One who died for them and was raised.

¹⁶ So from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Messiah according to the flesh, yet now we no longer know Him this way. ¹⁷ Therefore if anyone is in Messiah, he is a new creation. The old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. ^{[c] 18} Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Messiah and gave us the ministry of reconciliation. ¹⁹ That is, in Messiah God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them; and He has entrusted the message of reconciliation to us. ²⁰ We are therefore ambassadors for Messiah, as though God were making His appeal through us. We beg you on behalf of Messiah, be reconciled to God. ²¹ He made the One who knew no sin to become a sin offering on our behalf,^[d] so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.

6 Since we are co-laboring, we also urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ² For He says,

Behold, now is the favorable time. Behold, now is the day of salvation. ³ We give no cause for offense in anything, so that our ministry may not be blamed. ⁴ But as God’s servants, we are commending ourselves in every way—in great endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, ⁵ in beatings, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleeplessness, in hunger; ⁶ in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Ruach ha-Kodesh, in genuine love, ⁷ in truthful speech, in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; ⁸ through honor and dishonor, through evil report and good report. We are regarded as deceivers and yet true; ⁹ as unknown and yet well-known; as dying, yet behold, we live; as disciplined yet not put to death; ^{[f] 10} as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything.

¹¹ We have spoken openly to you, O Corinthians; our heart is open wide! ¹² You are not restricted by us, yet you are restricted in your own feelings. ¹³ Now in return—I speak as to my children—open wide to us also.

Preserving Sanctity in God’s Living Temple

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.^[g] For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? ¹⁵ What harmony does Messiah have with Belial^[h]? Or what part does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ What agreement does God’s Temple have with idols?^[i] For we are the temple of the living God—just as God said,

7 Therefore, since we have these promises, loved ones, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

Godly Sorrow and Joy

² Make room for us in your hearts. We wronged no one, ruined no one, took advantage of no one. ³ I do not say this to condemn you, for I have said before that you are in our hearts—to die together and to live together with you. ⁴ Great is my boldness of speech toward you. Great is my boasting on your behalf. I have been filled with encouragement. I overflow with joy in all our troubles.

⁵ For even when we came into Macedonia, our body had no rest. But we were hard pressed on every side—conflicts outside, fears within. ⁶ But God, who encourages the downcast, encouraged us with the arrival of Titus; ⁷ and not only by his coming, but also by the encouragement with which he was encouraged by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, and your deep concern for me—so that I rejoiced still more.

⁸ For even if I grieved you with my letter, I do not regret it—though I did regret it, for I see that my letter grieved you, but just for a while. ⁹ Now I rejoice, not that you were grieved, but that you were grieved to the point of repentance. For you were grieved according to God’s will, so that you might in no way suffer loss from us. ¹⁰ For the grief that God wills brings a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret. But the world’s grief brings death. ¹¹ For see what this very thing—this grieving that God wills—has brought you! What diligence, what defense, what indignation, what fear, what longing, what zeal, what rendering of justice! In everything you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter. ¹² So although I wrote to you, I wrote not for the sake of the wrongdoer or for the sake of the one who was wronged, but to make known to you your diligence for us in the sight of God. ¹³ For this reason we have been encouraged.

Besides our own encouragement, we rejoiced even more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit has been refreshed by all of you. ¹⁴ For if I have boasted some to him about you, I was not put to shame. But as we spoke all things truthfully to you, so also our boasting to Titus has proved to be the truth. ¹⁵ His feelings toward you overflow when he remembers everyone’s obedience—how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶ I rejoice that in everything I have confidence in you.

Eagerness to Give

8 Now we make known to you, brothers and sisters, the grace God has given to Messiah’s communities in Macedonia— ² that in much testing by affliction, the abundance of their joy and their extreme poverty overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part. ³ For I testify that according to their ability, and even beyond their ability, they gave of their own free will— ⁴ begging us with much urging for the favor of sharing in the relief of the kedoshim. ⁵ Moreover, it was not just as we had hoped, but they gave of themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will. ⁶ So we urged Titus that, just as he had made a start before, so he should also complete this gracious service for you. ⁷ But as you excel in everything—in faith and speech and knowledge and all diligence, and in your love for us—also excel in this grace. ⁸ I am saying this not as a command, but I am trying to prove by the diligence of others the genuineness of your love as well. ⁹ For you know the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah—that even though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that through His poverty you might become rich. ¹⁰ Now I give my opinion in this matter, that it is a credit to you that a year ago you were the first to start—not only to do but even to be willing. ¹¹ But now finish doing it, so that just as there was eagerness to be willing, so also to finish it, out of what you have. ¹² For if the eagerness is present, the gift is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he doesn’t have. ¹³ For it is not relief for others and hardship for you, but as a matter of equality. ¹⁴ Your abundance at this present time meets their need, so that their abundance may also meet your need—so that there may be equality. ¹⁵ As it is written, “He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little.”^[n]

An Offering by Special Delivery

¹⁶ But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion for you. ¹⁷ For indeed he not only accepted our appeal, but went to you with eagerness and on his own initiative. ¹⁸ We are sending along with him the brother whose fame in connection with the Good News has spread throughout all of Messiah’s communities. ¹⁹ Not only that, but he has also been appointed by the communities as our travel companion with this gracious gift, which is administered by us for the glory of the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help. ²⁰ We are taking this precaution, so that no one will blame us in regard to the way we administer this generous gift. ²¹ We have regard for what is honorable—not only before the Lord, but also before people. ²² Also with them we are sending our brother whom we have tested many times and found to be diligent in many things, but now even more diligent because of his great confidence in you. ²³ As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you; as for our brothers, they are the emissaries of the communities, a glory to Messiah. ²⁴ Therefore, before Messiah’s communities show them the proof of your love and of our boasting about you.

9 Now about this service to the kedoshim, it is indeed unnecessary for me to write to you— ² for I know your eagerness. I boast about it to the Macedonians, that Achaia has been preparing for a year already; and your zeal has stirred up most of them. ³ But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you may not be in vain in this case, so that you may be prepared, just as I kept saying. ⁴ Otherwise, if any Macedonians were to come and find you unprepared, we—not to mention you—would be put to shame in this undertaking. ⁵ So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on to you and arrange ahead of time your generous gift that had been promised beforehand, so that it would be ready as a gift and not as an extortion.

Sowing and Reaping Generosity

⁶ The point is this: whoever sows sparingly shall also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully shall also reap bountifully. ^{[o] 7} Let each one give as he has decided in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion—for God loves a cheerful giver. ^{[p] 8} And God is able to make all grace overflow to you, so that by always having enough of everything, you may overflow in every good work. ⁹ As it is written,

¹⁰ Now the One who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed and increase the harvest of your righteousness. ^{[r] 11} You will be enriched in everything for all generosity, which through us brings about thanksgiving to God. ¹² For this service of giving is not only supplying the needs of the kedoshim, but is also overflowing with many thanksgivings to God. ¹³ Because of the evidence of this service, they praise God for the obedience of your affirmation of the Good News of Messiah and for the generosity of your contribution to them and to everyone. ¹⁴ And in their prayer for you, they long for you because of the surpassing grace of God upon you. ¹⁵ Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!