6 So, as we work together with God, we tell you to be careful. Remember that God has been very kind and he has forgiven you. Do not waste that! 2 In the Bible God says:
‘I listened to your prayer at the right time for me to help you.
I helped you on the right day for me to save you.’ [ a ]
Listen! The right time is now! The day for God to save you is now!
3 We do not want anyone to think bad things about our work. So we do nothing that might cause trouble for anyone. 4 Instead, in everything that we do, we want to show that we are God's servants. When people want to hurt us, we are patient and brave. We have many troubles. We become sad and upset. 5 Sometimes people hit us. They put us in prison. They attack us. But we work hard. We cannot always sleep at night. We are often hungry. 6 We serve God honestly and with clean thoughts. We know what is true. We are patient and kind. God's Holy Spirit helps us. We love people in an honest way. 7 We speak a true message. God's power gives us strength. We do what is right, so we fight like soldiers on God's behalf. It is like we have God's weapons in both hands! 8 Sometimes people respect us as important. Sometimes they think that we are worth nothing. People may insult us, or they may praise us. We only say true things, but some people still think that we deceive others. 9 Some people do not want to know us. Other people accept us as God's servants. It seems like we are dying, but look! We are still alive! People punish us, but they do not kill us. 10 We seem to be sad, but really we are always happy. We seem to be poor, but we make many people rich. We seem to have nothing, but really we have everything.
11 Our friends at Corinth, we have spoken to you very honestly. We have shown you how much we love you. 12 We have done nothing to stop you from being our friends. But you have not really wanted to become our friends. 13 I am speaking to you as I would speak to my own children. Be fair to us! Accept us as your friends, just as we have accepted you.
14 Do not become united with people who do not believe in Christ. God has made you right with himself. Right and wrong cannot work together. Light and dark cannot join together. 15 Christ will never agree with the Devil. People who believe in Christ are completely different from people who do not believe. 16 Idols do not belong in God's house. Remember that we believers are the house of the God who lives for ever. This is what God has said:
‘I will make my home with them and I will live among them.
I will be their God and they will be my people.’ [ b ]
17 And so, the Lord says:
‘Come out from among them and be separate.
Do not touch anything that is disgusting.
Then I will accept you.’ [ c ]
18 He also says:
‘I will be a Father to you.
You will be my sons and my daughters.
That is what the Almighty Lord God says.’ [ d ]
6 We are workers together with God. So we beg you: Don’t let the grace that you received from God be for nothing. 2 God says,
“I heard you at the right time,
and I gave you help on the day of salvation.” ( A )
I tell you that the “right time” is now. The “day of salvation” is now.
3 We don’t want people to find anything wrong with our work. So we do nothing that will be a problem to others. 4 But in every way we show that we are servants of God. We never give up, even though we face troubles, difficulties, and problems of every kind. 5 We are beaten and thrown into prison. People get upset at us and fight against us. We work hard, and sometimes we get no sleep or food. 6 We show that we are God’s servants by our pure lives, by our understanding, by our patience, and by our kindness. We show it by the Holy Spirit, by genuine love, 7 by speaking the truth, and by depending on God’s power. This right way of living has prepared us to defend ourselves against every kind of attack.
8 Some people honor us, but others shame us. Some people say good things about us, but others say bad things. Some people say we are liars, but we speak the truth. 9 To some people we are not known, but we are well known. We seem to be dying, but look! We continue to live. We are punished, but we are not killed. 10 We have much sadness, but we are always rejoicing. We are poor, but we are making many people rich in faith. We have nothing, but really we have everything.
11 We have spoken freely to you people in Corinth. We have opened our hearts to you. 12 Our feelings of love for you have not stopped. It is you who have stopped your feelings of love for us. 13 I speak to you as if you were my children. Do the same as we have done—open your hearts also.
14 You are not the same as those who don’t believe. So don’t join yourselves to them. Good and evil don’t belong together. Light and darkness cannot share the same room. 15 How can there be any unity between Christ and the devil [ a ] ? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 16 God’s temple [ b ] cannot have anything to do with idols, and we are the temple of the living God. As God said,
“I will live with them
and walk with them;
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.” ( B )
17 “So come away from those people
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch anything that is not clean,
and I will accept you.” ( C )
18 “I will be your father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord All-Powerful.” ( D )
6 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings;
6 By pureness, by knowledge, by long suffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned,
7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true;
9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
11 O ye Corinthians, our mouth is open unto you, our heart is enlarged.
12 Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own bowels.
13 Now for a recompence in the same, (I speak as unto my children,) be ye also enlarged.
14 Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
16 And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.
18 And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.
6 And ( A ) working together with Him , ( B ) we also urge you not to receive ( C ) the grace of God in vain— 2 for He says,
“ ( D ) At a favorable time I listened to you ,
And on a day of salvation I helped you .”
Behold, now is “ a favorable time ,” behold, now is “ a day of salvation ”— 3 ( E ) giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, 4 but in everything ( F ) commending ourselves as [ a ] ( G ) servants of God, ( H ) in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, 5 in ( I ) beatings, in imprisonments, in ( J ) [ b ] mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in ( K ) hunger, 6 in purity, in ( L ) knowledge, in ( M ) patience, in kindness, in the ( N ) Holy Spirit, in ( O ) genuine love, 7 in ( P ) the word of truth, and in ( Q ) the power of God; by ( R ) the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, 8 by glory and ( S ) dishonor, by ( T ) evil report and good report; regarded as ( U ) deceivers and yet ( V ) true; 9 as unknown and yet well known, as ( W ) dying and yet behold, ( X ) we are alive; as [ c ] punished and yet not put to death, 10 as ( Y ) sorrowful yet always ( Z ) rejoicing, as ( AA ) poor yet making many rich, as ( AB ) having nothing and yet possessing ( AC ) all things.
11 ( AD ) Our mouth [ d ] has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our ( AE ) heart is opened wide. 12 You are not restrained [ e ] by us, but ( AF ) you are restrained in your own [ f ] affections. 13 Now in the same way in ( AG ) exchange—I am speaking as to ( AH ) children—open wide your hearts to us , you as well.
14 ( AI ) Do not be [ g ] mismatched with ( AJ ) unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness ( AK ) share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? 15 Or what ( AL ) harmony does Christ have with [ h ] Belial, or [ i ] what does a ( AM ) believer share with an ( AN ) unbeliever? 16 Or ( AO ) what agreement does [ j ] the temple of God have with idols? For we are [ k ] ( AP ) the temple of ( AQ ) the living God; just as God said,
“ ( AR ) I will ( AS ) dwell among them and ( AT ) walk among them ;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people .
17 ( AU ) Therefore, ( AV ) come out from their midst and be separate ,” says the Lord.
“ And do not touch what is unclean ;
And I will welcome you.
18 ( AW ) And I will be a father to you,
And you shall be ( AX ) sons and daughters to Me,”
Says the Lord Almighty.
6 As God’s co-workers ( A ) we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. ( B ) 2 For he says,
I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.
3 We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, ( D ) so that our ministry will not be discredited. 4 Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; 5 in beatings, imprisonments ( E ) and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; ( F ) 6 in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit ( G ) and in sincere love; ( H ) 7 in truthful speech ( I ) and in the power of God; ( J ) with weapons of righteousness ( K ) in the right hand and in the left; 8 through glory and dishonor, ( L ) bad report ( M ) and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; ( N ) 9 known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, ( O ) and yet we live on; ( P ) beaten, and yet not killed; 10 sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; ( Q ) poor, yet making many rich; ( R ) having nothing, ( S ) and yet possessing everything. ( T )
11 We have spoken freely to you, Corinthians, and opened wide our hearts to you. ( U ) 12 We are not withholding our affection from you, but you are withholding yours from us. 13 As a fair exchange—I speak as to my children ( V ) —open wide your hearts ( W ) also.
14 Do not be yoked together ( X ) with unbelievers. ( Y ) For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? ( Z ) 15 What harmony is there between Christ and Belial [ b ] ? ( AA ) Or what does a believer ( AB ) have in common with an unbeliever? ( AC ) 16 What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? ( AD ) For we are the temple ( AE ) of the living God. ( AF ) As God has said:
“I will live with them
and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they will be my people.” [ c ] ( AG )
17 Therefore,
“Come out from them ( AH )
and be separate,
says the Lord.
Touch no unclean thing,
and I will receive you.” [ d ] ( AI )
18 And,
