OET-RV 2COR Chapter 4

4 So because we have this ministry as a result of God’s mercy, we’re not discouraged 2 but rather, we have renounced any shameful things that were hidden and continue our spiritual journey. Avoiding deception and taking care not to distort God’s message, we present the truth clearly even as we commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience before God. 3 But even if our good message is concealed, it’s concealed from those who are perishing. 4 The god of this age has blinded the thinking of the unbelievers so that the light of the good message about the greatness of the messiah who’s God’s image, doesn’t radiate out to them, 5 because it’s not us ourselves that we’re proclaiming, but the master Yeshua Messiah. We serve as your slaves because of him, 6 [ref]because the God who said, ‘Light will be shining out of the darkness’, shined in our hearts so that we could experience God’s greatness in the face of Yeshua Messiah.

7 So we have this treasure stored in containers made from the dirt, so that the excellence of the power will be from God and not from us ourselves. 8 We might be oppressed but we won’t be crushed, perplexed but we won’t despair, 9 persecuted but we won’t be abandoned, and struck down but we won’t perish. 10 We always carry around in our bodies the death of Yeshua, so that the life of Yeshua may also be revealed in our bodies, 11 because we who are alive are always being given over to death for Yeshua’s sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal bodies. 12 So then, death is working in us, but life is working in all of you.

13 [ref]We have the same spirit of faith as what’s written: ‘I believed, therefore I talked about it.’ We also believe so we also talk about it, 14 knowing that the one who brought Yeshua back to life, will also bring us back to life along with Yeshua, and will be presenting us along with all of you. 15 All of this is for you, so that after experiencing much grace, you all will be even more thankful and thus honour God.

16 Because of that we’re not discouraged because even if our outer person is being ruined, our inner person is being renewed day by day 17 because our small, temporary troubles will produce an excess of great honour for us. 18 We don’t just look at what we can see, but include the things that can’t be seen, because visible things are temporary, but the things that last forever are invisible to our eyes.