2 Corinthians 4

CHAPTER 4

The Gospel of the Glory of Christ

¹Therefore, since we have this ^aministry, as we ^breceived mercy, we ^cdo not lose heart,

²but we have renounced the ^ahidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness or ^badulterating the word of God, but by the manifestation of truth ^ccommending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

³And even if our ^agospel is ^bveiled, it is veiled ¹to ^cthose who are perishing,

⁴in whose case ^athe god of ^bthis age has ^cblinded the minds of the unbelieving ¹so that they might not see the ^dlight of the gospel of the ^eglory of Christ, who is the ^fimage of God.

⁵For we ^ado not preach ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your slaves ¹for the sake of Jesus.

⁶For God, who said, “^aLight shall shine out of darkness,” is the One who has ^bshone in our hearts to give the ^cLight of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

⁷But we have this treasure in ^aearthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of ^bthe power will be of God and not from ourselves;

^8ain every way afflicted, but not ^bcrushed; ^cperplexed, but not despairing;

^9apersecuted, but not ^bforsaken; ^cstruck down, but not destroyed;

^10aalways carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that ^bthe life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.

¹¹For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh.

¹²So death works in us, but life in you.

¹³But having the same ^aspirit of faith, according to what is written, “^bI believed, therefore I spoke,” we also believe, therefore we also speak,

¹⁴knowing that He who ^araised the Lord Jesus ^bwill raise us also with Jesus and will ^cpresent us with you.

¹⁵For all things are ^afor your sakes, so that the grace which is ^1bspreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God.

¹⁶Therefore we ^ado not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our ^binner man is ^cbeing renewed day by day.

¹⁷For our momentary, ^alight affliction is working out for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

¹⁸while we ^alook not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal.