NKJV

The New King James Version

Thomas Nelson Publishers
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  Present Weakness and Resurrection Life

4 Therefore, since through God’s mercya we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.b  2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways;c we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God.d On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone’s consciencee in the sight of God.  3And even if our gospelf is veiled,g it is veiled to those who are perishing.h  4The godi of this agej has blindedk the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ,l who is the image of God.m  5For what we preach is not ourselves,n but Jesus Christ as Lord,o and ourselves as your servantsp for Jesus’ sake.  6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”*q made his light shine in our heartsr to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.s

 7But we have this treasure in jars of clayt to show that this all-surpassing power is from Godu and not from us.  8We are hard pressed on every side,v but not crushed; perplexed,w but not in despair;  9persecuted,x but not abandoned;y struck down, but not destroyed.z  10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus,a so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.b  11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake,c so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body.  12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.d

 13It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.”*e Since we have that same spirit of* faith,f we also believe and therefore speak,  14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the deadg will also raise us with Jesush and present us with you to himself.i  15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgivingj to overflow to the glory of God.

 16Therefore we do not lose heart.k Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardlyl we are being renewedm day by day.  17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.n  18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen,o since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

  Awaiting the New Body

5 For we know that if the earthlya tentb we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands.  2Meanwhile we groan,c longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,d  3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked.  4For while we are in this tent, we groane and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling,f so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life.  5Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.g

 6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord.  7We live by faith, not by sight.h  8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.i  9So we make it our goal to please him,j whether we are at home in the body or away from it.  10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that everyone may receive what is due themk for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.

 The Ministry of Reconciliation

11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord,a we try to persuade people. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience.b  12We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again,c but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us,d so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart.  13If we are “out of our mind,”e as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you.  14For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died.f  15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselvesg but for him who died for themh and was raised again.

 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldlyi point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.  17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,j the new creationk has come: The old has gone, the new is here!l  18All this is from God,m who reconciled us to himself through Christn and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:  19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.o And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.  20We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors,p as though God were making his appeal through us.q We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.r  21God made him who had no sins to be sin* for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.t

  6 As God’s co-workersu we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.v  2For he says,

“In the time of my favor I heard you,

and in the day of salvation I helped you.”*w

I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

 Paul’s Hardships

3We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path,a so that our ministry will not be discredited.  4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses;  5in beatings, imprisonmentsb and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger;c  6in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spiritd and in sincere love;e  7in truthful speechf and in the power of God;g with weapons of righteousnessh in the right hand and in the left;  8through glory and dishonor,i bad reportj and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors;k  9known, yet regarded as unknown; dying,l and yet we live on;m beaten, and yet not killed;  10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing;n poor, yet making many rich;o having nothing,p and yet possessing everything.q

 11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you.r  12We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us.  13As a fair exchange—I speak as to my childrens—open wide your heartst also.

 Warning Against Idolatry

14Do not be yoked togethera with unbelievers.b For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?c  15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial*?d Or what does a believere have in common with an unbeliever?f  16What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?g For we are the templeh of the living God.i As God has said:

“I will live with them

and walk among them,

and I will be their God,

and they will be my people.”*j

 17Therefore,

“Come out from themk

and be separate,

says the Lord.

Touch no unclean thing,

and I will receive you.”*l

 18And,

“I will be a Father to you,

and you will be my sons and daughters,m

says the Lord Almighty.”*n