2 Corinthians 6–7

6^tWorking together with him, then, ^uwe appeal to you ^vnot to receive the grace of God in vain. ²For he says,

^w“In a favorable time I listened to you,

and in a day of salvation I have helped you.”

Behold, ^xnow is the ^yfavorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. ³We ^zput no obstacle in anyone’s way, so that no fault may be found with our ministry, ⁴but ^aas servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: ^bby great endurance, ^cin afflictions, ^dhardships, calamities, ^5ebeatings, imprisonments, ^friots, labors, sleepless nights, hunger; ^6gby purity, ^hknowledge, patience, kindness, ⁱthe Holy Spirit, ^jgenuine love; ⁷by ^ktruthful speech, and ^lthe power of God; with ^mthe weapons of righteousness for the right hand and for the left; ⁸through honor and dishonor, ⁿthrough slander and praise. We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; ⁹as unknown, and ^oyet well known; ^pas dying, and behold, we live; ^qas punished, and yet not killed; ^10ras sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; ^sas poor, yet making many rich; ^tas having nothing, ^uyet possessing everything.

¹¹We have spoken freely to you,¹ Corinthians; ^vour heart is wide open. ¹²You are not restricted by us, but ^wyou are restricted in your own affections. ^13xIn return (I speak ^yas to children) widen your hearts also.

The Temple of the Living God

^14zDo not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For ^awhat partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or ^bwhat fellowship has light with darkness? ^15cWhat accord has Christ with Belial?² Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For ^dwe are the temple of the living God; as God said,

^e“I will make my dwelling among them and ^fwalk among them,

and ^gI will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

¹⁷Therefore ^hgo out from their midst,

and be separate from them, says the Lord,

and touch no unclean thing;

then I will welcome you,

¹⁸ⁱand I will be a father to you,

and you shall be sons and daughters to me,

says the Lord Almighty.”

7Since we have these promises, beloved, ^jlet us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body¹ and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God.

Paul’s Joy

^2kMake room in your hearts² for us. ^lWe have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have taken advantage of no one. ³I do not say this to condemn you, for I said before that ^myou are in our hearts, to die together and to live together. ⁴I am acting with ⁿgreat boldness toward you; ^oI have great pride in you; ^pI am filled with comfort. In all our affliction, I am overflowing with joy.

⁵For even ^qwhen we came into Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were afflicted at every turn—^rfighting without and fear within. ⁶But ^sGod, who comforts the downcast, ^tcomforted us by the coming of Titus, ⁷and not only by his coming but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more. ⁸For ^ueven if I made you grieve with my letter, I do not regret it—though ^vI did regret it, for I see that that letter grieved you, though only for a while. ⁹As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but ^wbecause you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us.

¹⁰For ^xgodly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas ^yworldly grief produces death. ¹¹For see what earnestness this godly grief has produced in you, but also what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what longing, ^zwhat zeal, what punishment! At every point you have proved yourselves innocent in the matter. ¹²So although I wrote to you, it was not for the sake of the one ^awho did the wrong, nor for the sake of the one who suffered the wrong, but in order that your earnestness for us might be revealed to you in the sight of God. ¹³Therefore ^bwe are comforted.

And besides our own comfort, we rejoiced still more at the joy of Titus, because his spirit ^chas been refreshed by you all. ¹⁴For ^dwhatever boasts I made to him about you, I was not put to shame. But just as everything we said to you ^ewas true, so also our boasting before Titus has proved true. ¹⁵And his affection for you is even greater, as he remembers ^fthe obedience of you all, how you received him with fear and trembling. ¹⁶I rejoice, because I have complete ^gconfidence in you.