Living In The Light (Ephesians 5:1-20) New Living & Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

 1    Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children. 

2    Live a life filled with love, following the example of Christ. He loved us and offered himself as a sacrifice for us, a pleasing aroma to God.

3    Let there be no sexual immorality, impurity, or greed among you. Such sins have no place among God’s people. 

4    Obscene stories, foolish talk, and coarse jokes—these are not for you. Instead, let there be thankfulness to God. 

5    You can be sure that no immoral, impure, or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God. For a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world.

6    Don’t be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him. 

7    Don’t participate in the things these people do. 

8    For once you were full of darkness, but now you have light from the Lord. So live as people of light!

9    For this light within you produces only what is good and right and true.

10  Carefully determine what pleases the Lord. 

11  Take no part in the worthless deeds of evil and darkness; instead, expose them. 

12  It is shameful even to talk about the things that ungodly people do in secret. 

13  But their evil intentions will be exposed when the light shines on them, 

14  for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said,  “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead,     and Christ will give you light.”

15  So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. 

16  Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. 

17  Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.  

18  Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit, 

19  singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts. 

20  And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    Since you are God's dear children, you must try to be like him. 

2    Your life must be controlled by love, just as Christ loved us and gave his life for us as a sweet-smelling offering and sacrifice that pleases God.

3    Since you are God's people, it is not right that any matters of sexual immorality or indecency or greed should even be mentioned among you. 

4    Nor is it fitting for you to use language which is obscene, profane, or vulgar. Rather you should give thanks to God. 

5    You may be sure that no one who is immoral, indecent, or greedy (for greed is a form of idolatry) will ever receive a share in the Kingdom of Christ and of God.

6    Do not let anyone deceive you with foolish words; it is because of these very things that God's anger will come upon those who do not obey him. 

7    So have nothing at all to do with such people. 

8    You yourselves used to be in the darkness, but since you have become the Lord's people, you are in the light. So you must live like people who belong to the light, 

9    for it is the light that brings a rich harvest of every kind of goodness, righteousness, and truth. 

10  Try to learn what pleases the Lord. 

11  Have nothing to do with the worthless things that people do, things that belong to the darkness. Instead, bring them out to the light. 

12  (It is really too shameful even to talk about the things they do in secret.) 

13  And when all things are brought out to the light, then their true nature is clearly revealed; 

14   for the light makes everything visible. This is why it is said, “Awake, O sleeper, rise up from the dead, and Christ will give you light."

15  So be careful how you live. Don't live like ignorant people, but like wise people. 

16  Make good use of every opportunity you have, because these are evil days. 

17  Don't be fools, then, but try to find out what the Lord wants you to do.

18  Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit. 

19  Speak to one another with the words of psalms, hymns, and sacred songs; sing hymns and psalms to the Lord with praise in your hearts. 

20  In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, always give thanks for everything to God the Father.

The New Life In Christ (Ephesians 4:17-32) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

17  With the Lord’s authority I say this: Live no longer as the Gentiles do, for they are hopelessly confused.

18  Their minds are full of darkness; they wander far from the life God gives because they have closed their minds and hardened their hearts against him. 

19  They have no sense of shame. They live for lustful pleasure and eagerly practice every kind of impurity.

20  But that isn’t what you learned about Christ. 

21  Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, 

22  throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception.

23  Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 

24  Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.

25  So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbors the truth, for we are all parts of the same body. 

26  And “don’t sin by letting anger control you.” Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, 

27  for anger gives a foothold to the devil.

28  If you are a thief, quit stealing. Instead, use your hands for good hard work, and then give generously to others in need. 

29  Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

30  And do not bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way you live. Remember, he has identified you as his own, guaranteeing that you will be saved on the day of redemption.

31  Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior.

32  Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

17  In the Lord's name, then, I warn you: do not continue to live like the heathen, whose thoughts are worthless 
18  and whose minds are in the dark. They have no part in the life that God gives, for they are completely ignorant and stubborn. 
19  They have lost all feeling of shame; they give themselves over to vice and do all sorts of indecent things without restraint.
20  That was not what you learned about Christ! 
21  You certainly heard about him, and as his followers you were taught the truth that is in Jesus. 
22  So get rid of your old self, which made you live as you used to—the old self that was being destroyed by its deceitful desires. 
23  Your hearts and minds must be made completely new, 
24  and you must put on the new self, which is created in God's likeness and reveals itself in the true life that is upright and holy.
25  No more lying, then! Each of you must tell the truth to the other believer, because we are all members together in the body of Christ. 
26  If you become angry, do not let your anger lead you into sin, and do not stay angry all day. 
27  Don't give the Devil a chance. 
28  If you used to rob, you must stop robbing and start working, in order to earn an honest living for yourself and to be able to help the poor. 
29  Do not use harmful words, but only helpful words, the kind that build up and provide what is needed, so that what you say will do good to those who hear you. 
30  And do not make God's Holy Spirit sad; for the Spirit is God's mark of ownership on you, a guarantee that the Day will come when God will set you free. 
31  Get rid of all bitterness, passion, and anger. No more shouting or insults, no more hateful feelings of any sort. 
32  Instead, be kind and tender-hearted to one another, and forgive one another, as God has forgiven you through Christ.

The Unity Of The Body (Ephesians 4:1-16) New Living & Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1    Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. 

2    Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. 

3    Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. 

4    For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.

5    There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 

6    and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.  

7    However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. 

8    That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”

9    Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world.

10  And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself.

11  Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 

12  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

13  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

14  Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. 

15  Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church. 

16  He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    I urge you, then—I who am a prisoner because I serve the Lord: live a life that measures up to the standard God set when he called you. 

2    Be always humble, gentle, and patient. Show your love by being tolerant with one another. 

3    Do your best to preserve the unity which the Spirit gives by means of the peace that binds you together.

4    There is one body and one Spirit, just as there is one hope to which God has called you. 

5    There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 

6    there is one God and Father of all people, who is Lord of all, works through all, and is in all.

7    Each one of us has received a special gift in proportion to what Christ has given. 

8    As the scripture says, “When he went up to the very heights, he took many captives with him; he gave gifts to people.”

9    Now, what does “he went up” mean? It means that first he came down to the lowest depths of the earth.

10  So the one who came down is the same one who went up, above and beyond the heavens, to fill the whole universe with his presence. 

11  It was he who “gave gifts to people”; he appointed some to be apostles, others to be prophets, others to be evangelists, others to be pastors and teachers. 

12  He did this to prepare all God's people for the work of Christian service, in order to build up the body of Christ. 

13  And so we shall all come together to that oneness in our faith and in our knowledge of the Son of God; we shall become mature people, reaching to the very height of Christ's full stature. 

14  Then we shall no longer be children, carried by the waves and blown about by every shifting wind of the teaching of deceitful people, who lead others into error by the tricks they invent. 

15  Instead, by speaking the truth in a spirit of love, we must grow up in every way to Christ, who is the head. 

16  Under his control all the different parts of the body fit together, and the whole body is held together by every joint with which it is provided. So when each separate part works as it should, the whole body grows and builds itself up through love.

The Love Of Christ (Ephesians 3:14-21) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

14  When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father,

15  the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth.

16  I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. 

17  Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. 

18  And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 

19  May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

20  Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think. 

21  Glory to him in the church and in Christ Jesus through all generations forever and ever! Amen.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

14  For this reason I fall on my knees before the Father, 
15  from whom every family in heaven and on earth receives its true name. 
16  I ask God from the wealth of his glory to give you power through his Spirit to be strong in your inner selves, 
17  and I pray that Christ will make his home in your hearts through faith. I pray that you may have your roots and foundation in love, 
18  so that you, together with all God's people, may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep, is Christ's love. 
19  Yes, may you come to know his love—although it can never be fully known—and so be completely filled with the very nature of God.
20  To him who by means of his power working in us is able to do so much more than we can ever ask for, or even think of: 
21  to God be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus for all time, forever and ever! Amen.

Oneness And Peace In Christ (Ephesians 2:11-22) New Living & Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

11  Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. You were called “uncircumcised heathens” by the Jews, who were proud of their circumcision, even though it affected only their bodies and not their hearts.

12  In those days you were living apart from Christ. You were excluded from citizenship among the people of Israel, and you did not know the covenant promises God had made to them. You lived in this world without God and without hope. 

13  But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to him through the blood of Christ.

14  For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. 

15  He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations. He made peace between Jews and Gentiles by creating in himself one new people from the two groups. 

16  Together as one body, Christ reconciled both groups to God by means of his death on the cross, and our hostility toward each other was put to death.

17  He brought this Good News of peace to you Gentiles who were far away from him, and peace to the Jews who were near. 

18  Now all of us can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us. 

19  So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 

20  Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself.

21  We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. ²² Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

11  You Gentiles by birth—called “the uncircumcised” by the Jews, who call themselves the circumcised (which refers to what men do to their bodies)—remember what you were in the past. 
12  At that time you were apart from Christ. You were foreigners and did not belong to God's chosen people. You had no part in the covenants, which were based on God's promises to his people, and you lived in this world without hope and without God. 
13  But now, in union with Christ Jesus you, who used to be far away, have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
14  For Christ himself has brought us peace by making Jews and Gentiles one people. With his own body he broke down the wall that separated them and kept them enemies. 
15  He abolished the Jewish Law with its commandments and rules, in order to create out of the two races one new people in union with himself, in this way making peace. 
16  By his death on the cross Christ destroyed their enmity; by means of the cross he united both races into one body and brought them back to God. 
17  So Christ came and preached the Good News of peace to all—to you Gentiles, who were far away from God, and to the Jews, who were near to him. 
18  It is through Christ that all of us, Jews and Gentiles, are able to come in the one Spirit into the presence of the Father.
19  So then, you Gentiles are not foreigners or strangers any longer; you are now citizens together with God's people and members of the family of God. 
20  You, too, are built upon the foundation laid by the apostles and prophets, the cornerstone being Christ Jesus himself. 
21  He is the one who holds the whole building together and makes it grow into a sacred temple dedicated to the Lord. 
22  In union with him you too are being built together with all the others into a place where God lives through his Spirit.

Made Alive In Christ (Ephesians 2:1-10) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1  Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 

2  You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. 

3   All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.

4   But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, 

5   that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) 

6   For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. 

7   So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.

8   God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 

9   Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. 

10  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    In the past you were spiritually dead because of your disobedience and sins. 

2    At that time you followed the world's evil way; you obeyed the ruler of the spiritual powers in space, the spirit who now controls the people who disobey God. 

3    Actually all of us were like them and lived according to our natural desires, doing whatever suited the wishes of our own bodies and minds. In our natural condition we, like everyone else, were destined to suffer God's anger.

4    But God's mercy is so abundant, and his love for us is so great, 

5    that while we were spiritually dead in our disobedience he brought us to life with Christ. It is by God's grace that you have been saved. 

6    In our union with Christ Jesus he raised us up with him to rule with him in the heavenly world. 

7    He did this to demonstrate for all time to come the extraordinary greatness of his grace in the love he showed us in Christ Jesus. 

8-9  For it is by God's grace that you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God's gift, so that no one can boast about it. 

10   God has made us what we are, and in our union with Christ Jesus he has created us for a life of good deeds, which he has already prepared for us to do.

Spiritual Blessings In Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

3    All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 

4    Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. 

5    God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. 

6    So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

7    He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. 

8    He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

9    God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. 

10  And this is the plan: At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ—everything in heaven and on earth. 

11  Furthermore, because we are united with Christ, we have received an inheritance from God, for he chose us in advance, and he makes everything work out according to his plan.

12  God’s purpose was that we Jews who were the first to trust in Christ would bring praise and glory to God. 

13  And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago.

14  The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

3    Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! For in our union with Christ he has blessed us by giving us every spiritual blessing in the heavenly world. 
4    Even before the world was made, God had already chosen us to be his through our union with Christ, so that we would be holy and without fault before him.  Because of his love 
5    God had already decided that through Jesus Christ he would make us his children—this was his pleasure and purpose. 
6    Let us praise God for his glorious grace, for the free gift he gave us in his dear Son! 
7    For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God,
8    which he gave to us in such large measure!  In all his wisdom and insight 
9    God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ. 
10  This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.
11  All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning. 
12  Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!
13  And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised. 
14  The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!

The Lord's Coming (I Thessalonians 4:13-18) New Living & Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

13  And now, dear brothers and sisters, we want you to know what will happen to the believers who have died so you will not grieve like people who have no hope. 

14  For since we believe that Jesus died and was raised to life again, we also believe that when Jesus returns, God will bring back with him the believers who have died.

15  We tell you this directly from the Lord: We who are still living when the Lord returns will not meet him ahead of those who have died. 

16  For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a commanding shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God. First, the Christians who have died will rise from their graves. 

17  Then, together with them, we who are still alive and remain on the earth will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Then we will be with the Lord forever. 

18  So encourage each other with these words.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

13  Our friends, we want you to know the truth about those who have died, so that you will not be sad, as are those who have no hope. 
14  We believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will take back with Jesus those who have died believing in him.
15  What we are teaching you now is the Lord's teaching: we who are alive on the day the Lord comes will not go ahead of those who have died. 
16  There will be the shout of command, the archangel's voice, the sound of God's trumpet, and the Lord himself will come down from heaven. Those who have died believing in Christ will rise to life first; 
17  then we who are living at that time will be gathered up along with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will always be with the Lord. 
18  So then, encourage one another with these words.

Paul And The False Apostles (II Corinthians 11:1-15) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1   I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me. 

2   For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ. 

3   But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 

4   You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

5    But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things. 

6    I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.

7    Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return? 

8    I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost. 

9    And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be. 

10  As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this. 

11  Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.

12  But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours. 

13  These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 

14  But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 

15  So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do! 

2    I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 

3    I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies. 

4    For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!

5    I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours! 

6    Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.

7    I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me? 

8    While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you. 

9    And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you! 

10  By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia.

11  Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!

12  I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other “apostles” from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. 

13  Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. 

14  Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light! 

15  So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.

Help For Needy Believers (II Corinthians 9:6-15) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
6    Remember this—a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop.
7    You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”
8    And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
9    As the Scriptures say, “They share freely and give generously to the poor.  Their good deeds will be remembered forever.”
10  For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.
11  Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous. And when we take your gifts to those who need them, they will thank God.
12  So two good things will result from this ministry of giving—the needs of the believers in Jerusalem will be met, and they will joyfully express their thanks to God.
13  As a result of your ministry, they will give glory to God. For your generosity to them and to all believers will prove that you are obedient to the Good News of Christ.
14  And they will pray for you with deep affection because of the overflowing grace God has given to you.
15  Thank God for this gift too wonderful for words!

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

6    Remember that the person who plants few seeds will have a small crop; the one who plants many seeds will have a large crop. 
7    You should each give, then, as you have decided, not with regret or out of a sense of duty; for God loves the one who gives gladly. 
8    And God is able to give you more than you need, so that you will always have all you need for yourselves and more than enough for every good cause. 
9    As the scripture says, “He gives generously to the needy; his kindness lasts forever.”
10  And God, who supplies seed for the sower and bread to eat, will also supply you with all the seed you need and will make it grow and produce a rich harvest from your generosity. 
11  He will always make you rich enough to be generous at all times, so that many will thank God for your gifts which they receive from us. 
12  For this service you perform not only meets the needs of God's people, but also produces an outpouring of gratitude to God. 
13  And because of the proof which this service of yours brings, many will give glory to God for your loyalty to the gospel of Christ, which you profess, and for your generosity in sharing with them and everyone else.
14  And so with deep affection they will pray for you because of the extraordinary grace God has shown you. 
15  Let us thank God for his priceless gift!

Warning Against Pagan Influences (II Corinthians 6:14-18) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

14  Don’t team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 

15  What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever? 

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.

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.

18  And I will be your Father, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

14  Do not try to work together as equals with unbelievers, for it cannot be done. How can right and wrong be partners? How can light and darkness live together? 

15  How can Christ and the Devil agree? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? 

16  How can God's temple come to terms with pagan idols? For we are the temple of the living God! As God himself has said, “I will make my home with my people and live among them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.”

17  And so the Lord says, “You must leave them and separate yourselves from them.  Have nothing to do with what is unclean, and I will accept you.

18  I will be your father, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Paul’s Hardships (II Corinthians 6:3-13) New Living and Good News Translation

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

3    We live in such a way that no one will stumble because of us, and no one will find fault with our ministry.

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. 

5   We have been beaten, been put in prison, faced angry mobs, worked to exhaustion, endured sleepless nights, and gone without food. 

6    We prove ourselves by our purity, our understanding, our patience, our kindness, by the Holy Spirit within us, and by our sincere 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. 

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. 

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. 

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.

11  Oh, dear Corinthian friends! We have spoken honestly with you, and our hearts are open to you.

12  There is no lack of love on our part, but you have withheld your love from us. 

13  I am asking you to respond as if you were my own children. Open your hearts to us!

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

3    We do not want anyone to find fault with our work, so we try not to put obstacles in anyone's way.
4    Instead, in everything we do we show that we are God's servants by patiently enduring troubles, hardships, and difficulties. 
5    We have been beaten, jailed, and mobbed; we have been overworked and have gone without sleep or food. 
6    By our purity, knowledge, patience, and kindness we have shown ourselves to be God's servants—by the Holy Spirit, by our true love, 
7    by our message of truth, and by the power of God. We have righteousness as our weapon, both to attack and to defend ourselves. 
8    We are honored and disgraced; we are insulted and praised. We are treated as liars, yet we speak the truth; 
9    as unknown, yet we are known by all; as though we were dead, but, as you see, we live on. Although punished, we are not killed; 
10  although saddened, we are always glad; we seem poor, but we make many people rich; we seem to have nothing, yet we really possess everything.
11  Dear friends in Corinth! We have spoken frankly to you; we have opened our hearts wide. 
12  It is not we who have closed our hearts to you; it is you who have closed your hearts to us. 
13  I speak now as though you were my children: show us the same feelings that we have for you. Open your hearts wide!

Today Is The Of Salvation (II Corinthians 6:1-2) New Living, Good News, and New King James Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1  As God’s partners, we beg you not to accept this marvelous gift of God’s kindness and then ignore it. 

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.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1  In our work together with God, then, we beg you who have received God's grace not to let it be wasted.

2  Hear what God says:  “When the time came for me to show you favor, I heard you; when the day arrived for me to save you, I helped you.”  Listen! This is the hour to receive God's favor; today is the day to be saved!

NEW KING JAMES TRANSLATION

1  We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 

2  For He says:  “In an acceptable time I have heard you,   And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”  Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

We Are God’s Ambassadors (II Corinthians 5:11-21) New Living & Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

11  Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. 

12  Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. 

13  If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. 

14  Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life.

15  He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.

16  So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! 

17  This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!

18  And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. 

19  For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. 

20  So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 

21  For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

11  We know what it means to fear the Lord, and so we try to persuade others. God knows us completely, and I hope that in your hearts you know me as well. 
12  We are not trying again to recommend ourselves to you; rather, we are trying to give you a good reason to be proud of us, so that you will be able to answer those who boast about people's appearance and not about their character. 
13  Are we really insane? It is for God's sake. Or are we sane? Then it is for your sake. 
14  We are ruled by the love of Christ, now that we recognize that one man died for everyone, which means that they all share in his death. 
15  He died for all, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but only for him who died and was raised to life for their sake.
16  No longer, then, do we judge anyone by human standards. Even if at one time we judged Christ according to human standards, we no longer do so. 
17  Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come. 
18  All this is done by God, who through Christ changed us from enemies into his friends and gave us the task of making others his friends also. 
19  Our message is that God was making all human beings his friends through Christ. God did not keep an account of their sins, and he has given us the message which tells how he makes them his friends.
20  Here we are, then, speaking for Christ, as though God himself were making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ's behalf: let God change you from enemies into his friends! 
21  Christ was without sin, but for our sake God made him share our sin in order that in union with him we might share the righteousness of God.

Heavenly Bodies (II Corinthians 5:1-10) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1    For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. 

2    We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.

3    For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies.

4    While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. 

5    God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.

6    So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. 

7    For we live by believing and not by seeing. 

8    Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. 

9    So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 

10  For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    For we know that when this tent we live in—our body here on earth—is torn down, God will have a house in heaven for us to live in, a home he himself has made, which will last forever. 

2    And now we sigh, so great is our desire that our home which comes from heaven should be put on over us; 

3    by being clothed with it we shall not be without a body. 

4    While we live in this earthly tent, we groan with a feeling of oppression; it is not that we want to get rid of our earthly body, but that we want to have the heavenly one put on over us, so that what is mortal will be transformed by life. 

5    God is the one who has prepared us for this change, and he gave us his Spirit as the guarantee of all that he has in store for us.

6    So we are always full of courage. We know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord's home. 

7    For our life is a matter of faith, not of sight. 

8    We are full of courage and would much prefer to leave our home in the body and be at home with the Lord. 

9    More than anything else, however, we want to please him, whether in our home here or there. 

10  For all of us must appear before Christ, to be judged by him. We will each receive what we deserve, according to everything we have done, good or bad, in our bodily life.

Spiritual Treasure In Clay Pots (II Corinthians 4) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1    Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. 

2    We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this.

3    If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. 

4    Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.

5    You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. 

6    For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ.

7    We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.

8    We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. 

9    We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. 

10  Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies.

11  Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. 

12  So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you.

13  But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.”

14  We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. 

15  All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory.

16  That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day.

17  For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! 

18  So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    God in his mercy has given us this work to do, and so we do not become discouraged. 

2    We put aside all secret and shameful deeds; we do not act with deceit, nor do we falsify the word of God. In the full light of truth we live in God's sight and try to commend ourselves to everyone's good conscience. 

3    For if the gospel we preach is hidden, it is hidden only from those who are being lost. 

4    They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. 

5    For it is not ourselves that we preach; we preach Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 

6    The God who said, “Out of darkness the light shall shine!” is the same God who made his light shine in our hearts, to bring us the knowledge of God's glory shining in the face of Christ.

7    Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us. 

8    We are often troubled, but not crushed; sometimes in doubt, but never in despair; 

9    there are many enemies, but we are never without a friend; and though badly hurt at times, we are not destroyed. 

10  At all times we carry in our mortal bodies the death of Jesus, so that his life also may be seen in our bodies. 

11  Throughout our lives we are always in danger of death for Jesus' sake, in order that his life may be seen in this mortal body of ours. 

12  This means that death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

13  The scripture says, “I spoke because I believed.” In the same spirit of faith we also speak because we believe. 

14  We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus to life, will also raise us up with Jesus and take us, together with you, into his presence. 

15  All this is for your sake; and as God's grace reaches more and more people, they will offer to the glory of God more prayers of thanksgiving. 

16  For this reason we never become discouraged. Even though our physical being is gradually decaying, yet our spiritual being is renewed day after day. 

17  And this small and temporary trouble we suffer will bring us a tremendous and eternal glory, much greater than the trouble. 

18  For we fix our attention, not on things that are seen, but on things that are unseen. What can be seen lasts only for a time, but what cannot be seen lasts forever.

The Glory Of The New Covenant (II Corinthians 3:1-18) New Living and Good News Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

1    Are we beginning to praise ourselves again? Are we like others, who need to bring you letters of recommendation, or who ask you to write such letters on their behalf? Surely not! 

2    The only letter of recommendation we need is you yourselves. Your lives are a letter written in our hearts; everyone can read it and recognize our good work among you. 

3    Clearly, you are a letter from Christ showing the result of our ministry among you. This “letter” is written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God. It is carved not on tablets of stone, but on human hearts.

4    We are confident of all this because of our great trust in God through Christ. 

5    It is not that we think we are qualified to do anything on our own. Our qualification comes from God. 

6    He has enabled us to be ministers of his new covenant. This is a covenant not of written laws, but of the Spirit. The old written covenant ends in death; but under the new covenant, the Spirit gives life.  

7    The old way, with laws etched in stone, led to death, though it began with such glory that the people of Israel could not bear to look at Moses’ face. For his face shone with the glory of God, even though the brightness was already fading away. 

8    Shouldn’t we expect far greater glory under the new way, now that the Holy Spirit is giving life? 

9    If the old way, which brings condemnation, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new way, which makes us right with God! 

10  In fact, that first glory was not glorious at all compared with the overwhelming glory of the new way. 

11  So if the old way, which has been replaced, was glorious, how much more glorious is the new, which remains forever!

12  Since this new way gives us such confidence, we can be very bold. 

13  We are not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so the people of Israel would not see the glory, even though it was destined to fade away. 

14  But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. 

15  Yes, even today when they read Moses’ writings, their hearts are covered with that veil, and they do not understand.

16  But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 

17  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 

18  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

1    Does this sound as if we were again boasting about ourselves? Could it be that, like some other people, we need letters of recommendation to you or from you? 

2    You yourselves are the letter we have, written on our hearts for everyone to know and read. 

3    It is clear that Christ himself wrote this letter and sent it by us. It is written, not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, and not on stone tablets but on human hearts.

4    We say this because we have confidence in God through Christ. 

5    There is nothing in us that allows us to claim that we are capable of doing this work. The capacity we have comes from God; 

6     it is he who made us capable of serving the new covenant, which consists not of a written law but of the Spirit. The written law brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

7    The Law was carved in letters on stone tablets, and God's glory appeared when it was given. Even though the brightness on Moses' face was fading, it was so strong that the people of Israel could not keep their eyes fixed on him. If the Law, which brings death when it is in force, came with such glory, 

8    how much greater is the glory that belongs to the activity of the Spirit! 

9    The system which brings condemnation was glorious; how much more glorious is the activity which brings salvation! 

10  We may say that because of the far brighter glory now the glory that was so bright in the past is gone.

11  For if there was glory in that which lasted for a while, how much more glory is there in that which lasts forever!

12  Because we have this hope, we are very bold. 

13  We are not like Moses, who had to put a veil over his face so that the people of Israel would not see the brightness fade and disappear. 

14  Their minds, indeed, were closed; and to this very day their minds are covered with the same veil as they read the books of the old covenant. The veil is removed only when a person is joined to Christ. 

15  Even today, whenever they read the Law of Moses, the veil still covers their minds. 

16  But it can be removed, as the scripture says about Moses: “His veil was removed when he turned to the Lord.”

17  Now, “the Lord” in this passage is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is present, there is freedom. 

18  All of us, then, reflect the glory of the Lord with uncovered faces; and that same glory, coming from the Lord, who is the Spirit, transforms us into his likeness in an ever greater degree of glory.

Victory Through Christ (II Corinthians 2:14-17) New Living, Good News and New King James Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION
14  But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.
15  Our lives are a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing.
16  To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this?
17  You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ’s authority, knowing that God is watching us.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION
14  But thanks be to God! For in union with Christ we are always led by God as prisoners in Christ's victory procession. God uses us to make the knowledge about Christ spread everywhere like a sweet fragrance.
15  For we are like a sweet-smelling incense offered by Christ to God, which spreads among those who are being saved and those who are being lost. 
16  For those who are being lost, it is a deadly stench that kills; but for those who are being saved, it is a fragrance that brings life. Who, then, is capable for such a task? 
17  We are not like so many others, who handle God's message as if it were cheap merchandise; but because God has sent us, we speak with sincerity in his presence, as servants of Christ.

NEW KING JAMES TRANSLATION
14  Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 
15  For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 
16  To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things? 
17  For we are not, as so many, peddling the word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ.

God Offers Comfort To All (II Corinthians 1:3-7) New Living, Good News and New King James Translations

NEW LIVING TRANSLATION

3  All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. 

4  He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. 

5  For the more we suffer for Christ, the more God will shower us with his comfort through Christ. 

6  Even when we are weighed down with troubles, it is for your comfort and salvation! For when we ourselves are comforted, we will certainly comfort you. Then you can patiently endure the same things we suffer. 

7  We are confident that as you share in our sufferings, you will also share in the comfort God gives us.

GOOD NEWS TRANSLATION

3  Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the merciful Father, the God from whom all help comes! 

4  He helps us in all our troubles, so that we are able to help others who have all kinds of troubles, using the same help that we ourselves have received from God. 

5  Just as we have a share in Christ's many sufferings, so also through Christ we share in God's great help.

6  If we suffer, it is for your help and salvation; if we are helped, then you too are helped and given the strength to endure with patience the same sufferings that we also endure. 

7  So our hope in you is never shaken; we know that just as you share in our sufferings, you also share in the help we receive.

NEW KING JAMES TRANSLATION

3  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort,

4  who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 

5  For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also abounds through Christ. 

6  Now if we are afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effective for enduring the same sufferings which we also suffer. Or if we are comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. 

7  And our hope for you is steadfast, because we know that as you are partakers of the sufferings, so also you will partake of the consolation.