2 Corinthians 4:7–5:9

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

8 we are aafflicted in every way, but not bcrushed; cperplexed, but not despairing;

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

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

11 For 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.

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

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

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

15 For 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.

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

17 For momentary, alight affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison,

18 while 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.

Chapter 5

The Temporal and Eternal

1 For we know that if 1the aearthly btent which is our house is torn down, we have a building from God, a house cnot made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

2 For indeed in this house we agroan, longing to be bclothed with our dwelling from heaven,

3 inasmuch as we, having put it on, will not be found naked.

4 For indeed while we are in this tent, we agroan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be bclothed, so that what is cmortal will be swallowed up by life.

5 Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who agave to us the Spirit as a 1pledge.

6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that awhile we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord—

7 for awe walk by faith, not by 1sight—

8 we are of good courage, I say, and aprefer rather to be absent from the body and bto be at home with the Lord.

9 Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be apleasing to Him.