| New Living Translation | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. | 1Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, "Don't receive God's grace in vain." |
| 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 | 2For He says: I heard you in an acceptable time, and I helped you in the day of salvation. Look, now is the acceptable time; now is the day of salvation. |
| 3We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry. | 3We give no opportunity for stumbling to anyone, so that the ministry will not be blamed. |
| 4In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind. | 4But as God's ministers, we commend ourselves in everything: by great endurance, by afflictions, by hardship, by difficulties, |
| 5We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. | 5by beatings, by imprisonments, by riots, by labors, by sleepless nights, by times of hunger, |
| 6We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. | 6by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by kindness, by the Holy Spirit, by sincere love, |
| 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. | 7by the message of truth, by the power of God; through weapons of righteousness on the right hand and the left, |
| 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. | 8through glory and dishonor, through slander and good report; as deceivers yet true; |
| 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. | 9as unknown yet recognized; as dying and look--we live; as being disciplined yet not killed; |
| 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. | 10as grieving yet always rejoicing; as poor yet enriching many; as having nothing yet possessing everything. |
| 11Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. | 11We have spoken openly to you, Corinthians; our heart has been opened wide. |
| 12There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. | 12You are not limited by us, but you are limited by your own affections. |
| 13I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us! The Temple of the Living God | 13I speak as to my children. As a proper response, you should also be open to us. |
| 14Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? | 14Do not be mismatched with unbelievers. For what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness? |
| 15What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil ? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? | 15What agreement does Christ have with Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? |
| 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. | 16And what agreement does God's sanctuary have with idols? For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people. |
| 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. | 17Therefore, come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord; do not touch any unclean thing, and I will welcome you. |
| 18And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ” | 18I will be a Father to you, and you will be sons and daughters to Me, says the Lord Almighty. |
| Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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