New Living Translation NLT
Common English Bible CEB
1 As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it.
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Since we work together with him, we are also begging you not to receive the grace of God in vain.
2 For 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.
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He says, I listened to you at the right time, and I helped you on the day of salvation. Look, now is the right time! Look, now is the day of salvation!
3 We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.
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We don't give anyone any reason to be offended about anything so that our ministry won't be criticized.
4 In everything we do, we show that we are true ministers of God. We patiently endure troubles and hardships and calamities of every kind.
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Instead, we commend ourselves as ministers of God in every way. We did this with our great endurance through problems, disasters, and stressful situations.
5 We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food.
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We went through beatings, imprisonments, and riots. We experienced hard work, sleepless nights, and hunger.
6 We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere love.
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We displayed purity, knowledge, patience, and generosity. We served with the Holy Spirit, genuine love,
7 We 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.
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telling the truth, and God's power. We carried the weapons of righteousness in our right hand and our left hand.
8 We serve God whether people honor us or despise us, whether they slander us or praise us. We are honest, but they call us impostors.
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We were treated with honor and dishonor and with verbal abuse and good evaluation. We were seen as both fake and real,
9 We 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.
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as unknown and well known, as dying—and look, we are alive! We were seen as punished but not killed,
10 Our 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.
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as going through pain but always happy, as poor but making many rich, and as having nothing but owning everything.
11 Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.
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Corinthians, we have spoken openly to you, and our hearts are wide open.
12 There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us.
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There are no limits to the affection that we feel for you. You are the ones who placed boundaries on your affection for us.
13 I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!
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But as a fair trade—I'm talking to you like you are children—open your hearts wide too.
14 Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness?
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Don't be tied up as equal partners with people who don't believe. What does righteousness share with that which is outside the Law? What relationship does light have with darkness?
15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil ? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?
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What harmony does Christ have with Satan? What does a believer have in common with someone who doesn't believe?
16 And 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.
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What agreement can there be between God's temple and idols? Because we are the temple of the living God. Just as God said, I live with them, and I will move among them. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
17 Therefore, come out from among unbelievers, and separate yourselves from them, says the LORD . Don’t touch their filthy things, and I will welcome you.
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Therefore, come out from among them and be separated, says the Lord. Don't touch what is unclean. Then I will welcome you.
18 And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty. ”
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I will be a father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2011 Common English Bible