II Corinthians 6-8

II Corinthians 6

¹And working together also we call upon you that ye receive not in vain the grace of God --

²for He saith, ‘In an acceptable time I did hear thee, and in a day of salvation I did help thee, lo, now is a well-accepted time; lo, now, a day of salvation,' --

³in nothing giving any cause of offence, that the ministration may be not blamed,

⁴but in everything recommending ourselves as God's ministrants; in much patience, in tribulations, in necessities, in distresses,

⁵in stripes, in imprisonments, in insurrections, in labours, in watchings, in fastings,

⁶in pureness, in knowledge, in long-suffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned,

⁷in the word of truth, in the power of God, through the armour of the righteousness, on the right and on the left,

⁸through glory and dishonour, through evil report and good report, as leading astray, and true;

⁹as unknown, and recognized; as dying, and lo, we live; as chastened, and not put to death;

¹⁰as sorrowful, and always rejoicing; as poor, and making many rich; as having nothing, and possessing all things.

¹¹Our mouth hath been open unto you, O Corinthians, our heart hath been enlarged!

¹²ye are not straitened in us, and ye are straitened in your own bowels,

¹³and as a recompense of the same kind, (as to children I say it,) be ye enlarged -- also ye!

¹⁴Become not yoked with others -- unbelievers, for what partaking is there to righteousness and lawlessness?

¹⁵and what fellowship to light with darkness? and what concord to Christ with Belial? or what part to a believer with an unbeliever?

¹⁶and what agreement to the sanctuary of God with idols? for ye are a sanctuary of the living God, according as God said -- ‘I will dwell in them, and will walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people,

¹⁷wherefore, come ye forth out of the midst of them, and be separated, saith the Lord, and an unclean thing do not touch, and I -- I will receive you,

¹⁸and I will be to you for a Father, and ye -- ye shall be to Me for sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.'

II Corinthians 7

¹Having, then, these promises, beloved, may we cleanse ourselves from every pollution of flesh and spirit, perfecting sanctification in the fear of God;

²receive us; no one did we wrong; no one did we waste; no one did we defraud;

³not to condemn you do I say it, for I have said before that in our hearts ye are to die with and to live with;

⁴great is my freedom of speech unto you, great my glory on your behalf; I have been filled with the comfort, I overabound with the joy on all our tribulation,

⁵for also we, having come to Macedonia, no relaxation hath our flesh had, but on every side we are in tribulation, without are fightings, within -- fears;

⁶but He who is comforting the cast-down -- God -- He did comfort us in the presence of Titus;

⁷and not only in his presence, but also in the comfort with which he was comforted over you, declaring to us your longing desire, your lamentation, your zeal for me, so that the more I did rejoice,

⁸because even if I made you sorry in the letter, I do not repent -- if even I did repent -- for I perceive that the letter, even if for an hour, did make you sorry.

⁹I now do rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry to reformation, for ye were made sorry toward God, that in nothing ye might receive damage from us;

¹⁰for the sorrow toward God reformation to salvation not to be repented of doth work, and the sorrow of the world doth work death,

¹¹for, lo, this same thing -- your being made sorry toward God -- how much diligence it doth work in you! but defence, but displeasure, but fear, but longing desire, but zeal, but revenge; in every thing ye did approve yourselves to be pure in the matter.

¹²If, then, I also wrote to you -- not for his cause who did wrong, nor for his cause who did suffer wrong, but for our diligence in your behalf being manifested unto you before God --

¹³because of this we have been comforted in your comfort, and more abundantly the more did we rejoice in the joy of Titus, that his spirit hath been refreshed from you all;

¹⁴because if anything to him in your behalf I have boasted, I was not put to shame; but as all things in truth we did speak to you, so also our boasting before Titus became truth,

¹⁵and his tender affection is more abundantly toward you, remembering the obedience of you all, how with fear and trembling ye did receive him;

¹⁶I rejoice, therefore, that in everything I have courage in you.

II Corinthians 8

¹And we make known to you, brethren, the grace of God, that hath been given in the assemblies of Macedonia,

²because in much trial of tribulation the abundance of their joy, and their deep poverty, did abound to the riches of their liberality;

³because, according to their power, I testify, and above their power, they were willing of themselves,

⁴with much entreaty calling on us to receive the favour and the fellowship of the ministration to the saints,

⁵and not according as we expected, but themselves they did give first to the Lord, and to us, through the will of God,

⁶so that we exhorted Titus, that, according as he did begin before, so also he may finish to you also this favour,

⁷but even as in every thing ye do abound, in faith, and word, and knowledge, and all diligence, and in your love to us, that also in this grace ye may abound;

⁸not according to command do I speak, but because of the diligence of others, and of your love proving the genuineness,

⁹for ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that because of you he became poor -- being rich, that ye by that poverty may become rich.

¹⁰and an opinion in this do I give: for this to you is expedient, who not only to do, but also to will, did begin before -- a year ago,

¹¹and now also finish doing it, that even as there is the readiness of the will, so also the finishing, out of that which ye have,

¹²for if the willing mind is present, according to that which any one may have it is well-accepted, not according to that which he hath not;

¹³for not that for others release, and ye pressured, do I speak,

¹⁴but by equality, at the present time your abundance -- for their want, that also their abundance may be for your want, that there may be equality,

¹⁵according as it hath been written, ‘He who did gather much, had nothing over; and he who did gather little, had no lack.'

¹⁶And thanks to God, who is putting the same diligence for you in the heart of Titus,

¹⁷because indeed the exhortation he accepted, and being more diligent, of his own accord he went forth unto you,

¹⁸and we sent with him the brother, whose praise in the good news is through all the assemblies,

¹⁹and not only so, but who was also appointed by vote by the assemblies, our fellow-traveller, with this favour that is ministered by us, unto the glory of the same Lord, and your willing mind;

²⁰avoiding this, lest any one may blame us in this abundance that is ministered by us,

²¹providing right things, not only before the Lord, but also before men;

²²and we sent with them our brother, whom we proved in many things many times being diligent, and now much more diligent, by the great confidence that is toward you,

²³whether -- about Titus -- my partner and towards you fellow-worker, whether -- our brethren, apostles of assemblies -- glory of Christ;

²⁴the shewing therefore of your love, and of our boasting on your behalf, to them shew ye, even in the face of the assemblies.