| Berean Study Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. | 1As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. |
| 2For He says: “In the time of favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” Behold, now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation! | 2For God says, “At just the right time, I heard you. On the day of salvation, I helped you.” Indeed, the “right time” is now. Today is the day of salvation. Paul’s Hardships |
| 3We put no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no one can discredit our ministry. | 3We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. |
| 4Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships, and calamities; | 4In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. |
| 5in beatings, imprisonments, and riots; in labor, sleepless nights, and hunger; | 5We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. |
| 6in purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; | 6We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. |
| 7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; | 7We faithfully preach the truth. God’s power is working in us. We use the weapons of righteousness in the right hand for attack and the left hand for defense. |
| 8through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine; | 8We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors. |
| 9as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed; | 9We are ignored, even though we are well known. We live close to death, but we are still alive. We have been beaten, but we have not been killed. |
| 10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything. | 10Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything. |
| 11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are open wide. | 11Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. |
| 12It is not our affection, but yours, that is restrained. | 12There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. |
| 13As a fair exchange, I ask you as my children: Open wide your hearts also. | 13I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us! The Temple of the Living God |
| 14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? | 14Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? |
| 15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? | 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil ? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? |
| 16What agreement can exist between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.” | 16And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said: “I will live in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people. |
| 17“Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” | 17Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD. Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you. |
| 18And: “I will be a Father to you, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” | 18And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ” |
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