7in truthful speech and in the power of God; with the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left;8through glory and dishonor, slander and praise; viewed as imposters, yet genuine;9as unknown, yet well-known; dying, and yet we live on; punished, yet not killed;10sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything.

11We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians. Our hearts are open wide.12It is not our affection, but yours, that is restrained.13As a fair exchange, I ask you as my children: Open wide your hearts also.

Do Not Be Unequally Yoked

14Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership can righteousness have with wickedness? Or what fellowship does light have with darkness?15What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? Or what does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

Paul’s Joy in the Corinthians

1Therefore, beloved, since we have these promises, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that defiles body and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.

2Make room for us in your hearts. We have wronged no one, we have corrupted no one, we have exploited no one.3I do not say this to condemn you. I have said before that you so occupy our hearts that we live and die together with you.4Great is my confidence in you; great is my pride in you; I am filled with encouragement; in all our troubles my joy overflows.

5For when we arrived in Macedonia, our bodies had no rest, but we were pressed from every direction—conflicts on the outside, fears within.6But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the arrival of Titus,7and not only by his arrival, but also by the comfort he had received from you. He told us about your longing, your mourning, and your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced all the more.

8Even if I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it. Although I did regret it, I now see that my letter caused you sorrow, but only for a short time.9And now I rejoice, not because you were made sorrowful, but because your sorrow led you to repentance. For you felt the sorrow that God had intended, and so were not harmed in any way by us.10Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation without regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.11Consider what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves, what indignation, what alarm, what longing, what zeal, what vindication! In every way you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter.12So even though I wrote to you, it was not on account of the one who did wrong or the one who was harmed, but rather that your earnestness on our behalf would be made clear to you in the sight of God.13On account of this, we are encouraged. In addition to our own encouragement, we were even more delighted by the joy of Titus. For his spirit has been refreshed by all of you.14Indeed, I was not embarrassed by anything I had boasted to him about you. But just as everything we said to you was true, so our boasting to Titus has proved to be true as well.15And his affection for you is even greater when he remembers that you were all obedient as you welcomed him with fear and trembling.16I rejoice that I can have complete confidence in you.

Generosity Commended

1Now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the churches of Macedonia.2In the terrible ordeal they suffered, their abundant joy and deep poverty overflowed into rich generosity.3For I testify that they gave according to their ability and even beyond it. Of their own accord,4they earnestly pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints.5And not only did they do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us, because it was the will of God.6So we urged Titus to help complete your act of grace, just as he had started it.7But just as you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness, and in the love we inspired in you —see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

8I am not making a demand, but I am testing the sincerity of your love in comparison to the earnestness of others.9For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.10And this is my opinion about what is helpful for you in this matter: Last year you were the first not only to give, but even to have such a desire.11Now finish the work, so that you may complete it just as eagerly as you began, according to your means.12For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have.13It is not our intention that others may be relieved while you are burdened, but that there may be equality.14At the present time, your surplus will meet their need, so that in turn their surplus will meet your need. Then there will be equality.

Titus Commended

16But thanks be to God, who put into the heart of Titus the same devotion I have for you.17For not only did he welcome our appeal, but he is eagerly coming to you of his own volition.18Along with Titus we are sending the brother who is praised by all the churches for his work in the gospel.19More than that, this brother was chosen by the churches to accompany us with the offering —the gracious gift we administer to honor the Lord Himself and to show our eagerness to help.20We hope to avoid any criticism of the way we administer this generous gift.21For we are taking great care to do what is right, not only in the eyes of the Lord, but also in the eyes of men.22And we are sending along with them our brother whose earnestness has been proven many times and in many ways, and now even more so by his great confidence in you.23As for Titus, he is my partner and fellow worker among you. As for our brothers, they are messengers of the churches, to the glory of Christ.24In full view of the churches, then, show these men the proof of your love and the reason for our boasting about you.

God Loves a Cheerful Giver

1Now about the service to the saints, there is no need for me to write to you.2For I know your eagerness to help, and I have been boasting to the Macedonians that since last year you in Achaia were prepared to give. And your zeal has stirred most of them to do likewise.3But I am sending the brothers in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove empty, but that you will be prepared, just as I said.4Otherwise, if any Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—to say nothing of you—would be ashamed of having been so confident.5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you beforehand and make arrangements for the bountiful gift you had promised. This way, your gift will be prepared generously and not begrudgingly.

6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.7Each one should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not out of regret or compulsion. For God loves a cheerful giver.8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things, at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.