And working together with him we entreat also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain
(for he saith,
{Isaiah 49:8.}At an acceptable time I hearkened unto thee,
And in a day of salvation did I succor thee:
behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation):
giving no occasion of stumbling in anything, that our ministration be not blamed;
but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much {Or, stedfastness}patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;
in pureness, in knowledge, in longsuffering, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in love unfeigned,
in the word of truth, in the power of God; {Greek: though.}by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left,
by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; as deceivers, and yet true;
as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Our mouth is open unto you, O Corinthians, our heart is enlarged.
Ye are not straitened in us, but ye are straitened in your own affections.
Now for a recompense in like kind (I speak as unto my children), be ye also enlarged.
Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with {Greek: Beliar.}Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever?
And what agreement hath a {Or, santuary}temple of God with idols? for we are a {Or, santuary}temple of the living God; even as God said, {Leviticus 26:12; Exodus 29:45; Ezekiel 37:27; Jeremiah 31:1.}I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore
{Isaiah 52:11.}Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate,
saith the Lord,
And touch no unclean thing;
And I will receive you,
{Hosea 1:10; Isaiah 43:6.}And will be to you a Father,
And ye shall be to me sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty.
Querverweise zu 2. Korinther 6,10 2Kor 6,10
For out of much affliction and anguish of heart I wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which I have more abundantly unto you.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves;
For all things are for your sakes, that the grace, being multiplied through {Greek: the more.}the many, may cause the thanksgiving to abound unto the glory of God.
I say it not to condemn you: for I have said before, that ye are in our hearts to die together and live together.
Great is my boldness of speech toward you, great is my glorying on your behalf: I am filled with comfort, I overflow with joy in all our affliction.
For even when we were come into Macedonia our flesh had no relief, but we were afflicted on every side; without were fightings, within were fears.
Nevertheless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, comforted us by the {Greek: presence. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9.}coming of Titus;
and not by his {Greek: presence. Compare 2 Thessalonians 2:9.}coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he was comforted in you, while he told us your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me; so that I rejoiced yet more.
For though I made you sorry with my epistle, I do not regret it: though I did regret it ( {Some ancient authorities omit for.}for I see that that epistle made you sorry, though but for a season),
I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry after a godly sort, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.
For godly sorrow worketh repentance {Or, unto a salvation which bringeth no regret}unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.
For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might become rich.
For Jehovah God is a sun and a shield:Jehovah will give grace and glory;No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly.
{Some ancient authorities transpose verse 4 and 5.}Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
Now if their fall is the riches of the world, and their loss the riches of the Gentiles; how much more their fulness?
How much better is it to get wisdom than gold!Yea, to get understanding is rather to be chosen than silver.
Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets that were before you.
Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, was this grace given, to {Greek: bring good tidings of the &c. Compare chapter 2:17.}preach unto the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;
Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon the earth, where moth and rust consume, and where thieves {Greek: dig through.}break through and steal:
Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.
that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man;
but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth consume, and where thieves do not {Greek: dig through.}break through nor steal:
And ye therefore now have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you.
Let the word of {Some ancient authorities read the Lord: others, God.}Christ dwell in you {Or, richly in all wisdom; teaching &c.}richly; in all wisdom teaching and admonishing {Or, yourselves}one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts unto God.
If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches?
They therefore departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonor for the Name.
that they do good, that they be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, {Or, ready to sympathize}willing to communicate;
And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another's, who will give you that which is {Some ancient authorities read your own.}your own?
But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns unto God, and the prisoners were listening to them;
Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world to be rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him?
Wherefore let no one glory in men. For all things are yours;
whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
and ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's.
through whom also we have had our access {Some ancient authorities omit by faith.}by faith into this grace wherein we stand; and {Or, let us rejoice}we {Greek: glory. Verse 11; Hebrew 3:6.}rejoice in hope of the glory of God.
I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the {Or, reviling}blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
for bodily exercise is profitable {Or, for little}for a little; but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life which now is, and of that which is to come.
And not only so, but {Or, let us also rejoice}we also {Greek: glory. Verse 11; Hebrew 3:6.}rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh stedfastness;
He that overcometh shall inherit these things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son.
that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart.
Rejoice with them that rejoice; weep with them that weep.
Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice in the Lord always: again I will say, Rejoice.
for this cause, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our distress and affliction through your faith:
for now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.
For what thanksgiving can we render again unto God for you, for all the joy wherewith we joy for your sakes before our God;
night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face, and may perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
Rejoice always;
For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that {Many ancient authorities read ye have your own selves for a better possession &c. Compare Luke 9:25; 21:19.}ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.
Count it all joy, my brethren, when ye fall into manifold {Or, trials}temptations;
knowing that the proving of your faith worketh {Or, stedfastness}patience.
And let {Or, stedfastness}patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold {Or, temptations}trials,
that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ:
whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and {Greek: glorified.}full of glory:
but insomuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, rejoice; that at the revelation of his glory also ye may rejoice with exceeding joy.