2 Corinthians · Majority Standard Bible
2 Corinthians 4 Majority Standard Bible
Audio: World English Bible (WEB), read by Winfred W. Henson · About the recordings
1 Therefore, since God in His mercy has given us this ministry, we do not lose heart.
1 Διὰ τοῦτο, ἔχοντες τὴν διακονίαν ταύτην καθὼς ἠλεήθημεν, οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν,
2 Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful ways. We do not practice deceit, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by open proclamation of the truth, we commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.
2 ἀλλ᾽ ἀπειπάμεθα τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς αἰσχύνης, μὴ περιπατοῦντες ἐν πανουργίᾳ μηδὲ δολοῦντες τὸν λόγον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τῇ φανερώσει τῆς ἀληθείας συνιστῶντες ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς πᾶσαν συνείδησιν ἀνθρώπων ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
3 And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing.
3 εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστι κεκαλυμμένον τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ἡμῶν, ἐν τοῖς ἀπολλυμένοις ἐστὶ κεκαλυμμένον,
4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, might not dawn upon them.
4 ἐν οἷς ὁ θεὸς τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἐτύφλωσε τὰ νοήματα τῶν ἀπίστων εἰς τὸ μὴ αὐγάσαι αὐτοῖς τὸν φωτισμὸν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τῆς δόξης τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ.
5 For we do not proclaim ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
5 οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν, ἀλλὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν Κύριον, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Ἰησοῦν.
6 For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made His light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
6 ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
7 Now we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this surpassingly great power is from God and not from us.
7 Ἔχομεν δὲ τὸν θησαυρὸν τοῦτον ἐν ὀστρακίνοις σκεύεσιν, ἵνα ἡ ὑπερβολὴ τῆς δυνάμεως ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μὴ ἐξ ἡμῶν,
8 We are hard pressed on all sides, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair;
8 ἐν παντὶ θλιβόμενοι ἀλλ᾽ οὐ στενοχωρούμενοι, ἀπορούμενοι ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐξαπορούμενοι,
9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.
9 διωκόμενοι ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἐγκαταλειπόμενοι, καταβαλλόμενοι ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἀπολλύμενοι,
10 We always carry around in our body the death of the Lord Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body.
10 πάντοτε τὴν νέκρωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι περιφέροντες, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν φανερωθῇ.
11 For we who are alive are always consigned to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our mortal body.
11 ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ ζῶντες εἰς θάνατον παραδιδόμεθα διὰ Ἰησοῦν, ἵνα καὶ ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ φανερωθῇ ἐν τῇ θνητῇ σαρκὶ ἡμῶν.
12 So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.
12 ὥστε ὁ μὲν θάνατος ἐν ἡμῖν ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ζωὴ ἐν ὑμῖν.
13 And in keeping with what is written, “I believed, therefore I have spoken,” we who have the same spirit of faith also believe and therefore speak,
13 ἔχοντες δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ πνεῦμα τῆς πίστεως κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα, καὶ ἡμεῖς πιστεύομεν, διὸ καὶ λαλοῦμεν,
14 knowing that the One who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us through Jesus and present us with you in His presence.
14 εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ ἐγείρας τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν καὶ ἡμᾶς διὰ Ἰησοῦ ἐγερεῖ καὶ παραστήσει σὺν ὑμῖν.
15 All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is extending to more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow, to the glory of God.
15 τὰ γὰρ πάντα δι᾽ ὑμᾶς, ἵνα ἡ χάρις πλεονάσασα διὰ τῶν πλειόνων τὴν εὐχαριστίαν περισσεύσῃ εἰς τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ.
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet the inner self is being renewed day by day.
16 Διὸ οὐκ ἐκκακοῦμεν, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, ἀλλ᾽ ὁ ἔσωθεν ἀνακαινοῦται ἡμέρᾳ καὶ ἡμέρᾳ.
17 For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison.
17 τὸ γὰρ παραυτίκα ἐλαφρὸν τῆς θλίψεως ἡμῶν καθ᾽ ὑπερβολὴν εἰς ὑπερβολὴν αἰώνιον βάρος δόξης κατεργάζεται ἡμῖν,
18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
18 μὴ σκοπούντων ἡμῶν τὰ βλεπόμενα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὴ βλεπόμενα· τὰ γὰρ βλεπόμενα πρόσκαιρα, τὰ δὲ μὴ βλεπόμενα αἰώνια.
Cross references (18)
Related passages for each verse, from the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge as collected and ranked by readers at OpenBible.info.
- 1 2 Thessalonians 3:13; Galatians 6:9; Ephesians 3:13; Revelation 2:3; Philippians 4:13
- 2 2 Corinthians 2:17; 1 Thessalonians 2:3–5; 2 Corinthians 5:11; 2 Corinthians 11:13–15; 1 Corinthians 4:5
- 3 1 Corinthians 1:18; 2 Corinthians 3:14; 2 Thessalonians 2:9–11; 2 Corinthians 2:15–16; Matthew 11:25
- 4 John 12:40; 2 Corinthians 3:14; Acts 26:18; Isaiah 6:10; 1 John 5:19
- 5 1 Thessalonians 2:5–6; 2 Corinthians 1:24; 1 Corinthians 1:23; Galatians 5:13; 2 Corinthians 5:14–15
- 6 Isaiah 60:2; Genesis 1:3; 1 Peter 2:9; 2 Peter 1:19; Ephesians 5:8
- 7 2 Corinthians 3:5–6; 2 Corinthians 5:1; Ephesians 2:8–9; 1 Corinthians 1:28; Colossians 2:3
- 8 James 1:2–4; Romans 8:35–37; 1 Peter 4:12–14; 2 Corinthians 12:10; Psalm 56:2–3
- 9 Isaiah 43:2; Micah 7:8; Psalm 37:24–25; Proverbs 24:16; Psalm 42:11
- 10 Romans 6:5; 2 Timothy 2:11; 1 Peter 4:13; Romans 6:8; Philippians 3:10–11
- 11 1 Corinthians 15:49; 1 Corinthians 15:53–54; Psalm 44:22; Romans 8:36; 1 Corinthians 15:31
- 12 2 Corinthians 13:9; 1 Corinthians 4:10; 1 John 3:16; Acts 20:24; Philippians 2:17
- 13 Psalm 116:10; Hebrews 11:1–40; 2 Corinthians 3:12; Proverbs 21:28; 1 Corinthians 12:9
- 14 Romans 8:11; 1 Thessalonians 4:14; 1 Corinthians 6:14; John 11:25–26; Jude 24
- 15 Romans 8:28; Ephesians 3:20–21; 2 Corinthians 9:11–12; Psalm 50:23; 2 Corinthians 1:11
- 16 Isaiah 40:31; Colossians 3:10; Isaiah 40:29; Romans 12:2; Psalm 73:26
- 17 Romans 8:18; 1 Peter 5:10; Romans 5:3–5; James 1:12; Hebrews 12:10–11
- 18 2 Corinthians 5:7; Romans 8:24–25; Hebrews 11:1; 1 John 2:16–17; 1 John 2:25
Cross references: OpenBible.info (CC BY), drawn mainly from the public-domain Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. · Sources & licences
What the Fathers said
Passages from the Church Fathers that expound or quote this chapter, verbatim from the public-domain Schaff edition (19th-century English translations).
How these were chosen
“Commentary” is the opening of a homily or exposition on this chapter (John Chrysostom’s homilies, Augustine’s tractates, sermons and expositions of the Psalms). “Quotes” are sentences where the edition’s own footnotes identify a quotation of a verse here, kept only when the wording matches the verse. Only works whose authorship is not in doubt are used. Psalms follow the Hebrew/English numbering (Augustine numbers them as the Septuagint does: his Psalm 50 is Psalm 51 here).
Seeing he had uttered great things and had set himself and all the faithful before Moses, aware of the height and greatness of what he had said, observe how he moderates his tone again.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 12 (1889)
As to their affirming that Paul said plainly in the Second [Epistle] to the Corinthians, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not," and maintaining that there is indeed one god of this world, but another who is beyond all principality, and beginning, and power, we are not to blame if they, …
… contrary, it so thoroughly adopts it, that even while a man is alive, and body and soul are united, it calls each of them singly by the name "man," speaking of the soul as the "inward man," and of the body as the "outward man," as if there were two men, though both together are indeed but one.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 2 (1887)
Hear, for instance, how of those passions Paul is ashamed, even after his deliverance from them, saying, "For what fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed?" But virtue, even after his labor, he affirms to be light, calling the laboriousness of our affliction momentary and "light," and rejoicing in his sufferings, and glorying in his …
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 1, vol. 10 (1888)
For it is Paul who saith, In whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, lest the light of the Gospel should shine unto them." But Archelaus made a good retort, saying, "Read a little before: But if our Gospel is veiled, it is veiled in them that are perishing.
Read in context · Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 7 (1894)