2 Corinthians 6 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Their Ministry Commended

6 And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain— ² for He says,

Behold, now is “a favorable time,” behold, now is “a day of salvation”— ³ giving no reason for taking offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, ⁴ but in everything commending ourselves as ^[a]servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in difficulties, ⁵ in beatings, in imprisonments, in ^[b]mob attacks, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, ⁶ in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, ⁷ in the word of truth, and in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, ⁸ by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; ⁹ as unknown and yet well known, as dying and yet behold, we are alive; as ^[c]punished and yet not put to death, ¹⁰ as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing and yet possessing all things.

¹¹ Our mouth ^[d]has spoken freely to you, you Corinthians, our heart is opened wide. ¹² You are not restrained ^[e]by us, but you are restrained in your own ^[f]affections. ¹³ Now in the same way in exchange—I am speaking as to children—open wide your hearts to us, you as well.

¹⁴ Do not be ^[g]mismatched with unbelievers; for what do righteousness and lawlessness share together, or what does light have in common with darkness? ¹⁵ Or what harmony does Christ have with ^[h]Belial, or ^[i]what does a believer share with an unbeliever? ¹⁶ Or what agreement does ^[j]the temple of God have with idols? For we are ^[k]the temple of the living God; just as God said,