| NET Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Now because we are fellow workers, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God 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, "I heard you at the acceptable time, and in the day of salvation I helped you." Look, now is the acceptable time; look, 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 do not give anyone an occasion for taking an offense in anything, so that no fault may be found with 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. |
| 4But as God's servants, we have commended ourselves in every way, with great endurance, in persecutions, in difficulties, in distresses, | 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, in imprisonments, in riots, in troubles, in sleepless nights, in hunger, | 5We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. |
| 6by purity, by knowledge, by patience, by benevolence, by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, | 6We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love. |
| 7by truthful teaching, by the power of God, with weapons of righteousness both for the right hand and for 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, through slander and praise; regarded as impostors, and yet true; | 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, and yet well-known; as dying and yet--see!--we continue to live; as those who are scourged and yet not executed; | 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. |
| 10as sorrowful, but always rejoicing, as poor, but making many rich, as 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 heart has been opened wide to you. | 11Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you. |
| 12Our affection for you is not restricted, but you are restricted in your affections for us. | 12There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. |
| 13Now as a fair exchange--I speak as to my children--open wide your hearts to us 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 become partners with those who do not believe, for what partnership is there between righteousness and lawlessness, 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? |
| 15And what agreement does Christ have with Beliar? Or what does a believer share 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? |
| 16And what mutual agreement does the temple of God have with idols? For we are the temple of the living God, just as God said, "I will live in them and will 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. |
| 17Therefore "come out from their midst, and be separate," says the Lord, "and touch no unclean thing, and I will welcome 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 All-Powerful Lord. | 18And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ” |
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