Spirit-Led Evangelism

Consider It All Joy

Know Jesus, Make Him Known

Burst Your Christian Bubble

God's Goodness and Human Free Will

Baptism Faith Training

Everyday Evangelism: Practical Ways to Share Jesus

The Harvest Is Ready

Christmas Miracles

Christmas: The Birth of Your Personal Miracle

The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

New International Version™  (Anglicised), Audio Edition

Holy Bible, New International Version™ (Anglicised), South Asian Audio Edition

<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPRO">
 <div class="chapter ch22" data-usfm="PRO.22">
 <div class="label">22</div><div class="q1"> 1A good name is more desirable than great riches;</div><div class="q2">to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 2Rich and poor have this in common:</div><div class="q2">The Lord is the Maker of them all.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3The prudent see danger and take refuge,</div><div class="q2">but the simple keep going and pay the penalty.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 4Humility is the fear of the Lord;</div><div class="q2">its wages are riches and honor and life.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 5In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls,</div><div class="q2">but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 6Start children off on the way they should go,</div><div class="q2">and even when they are old they will not turn from it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 7The rich rule over the poor,</div><div class="q2">and the borrower is slave to the lender.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 8Whoever sows injustice reaps calamity,</div><div class="q2">and the rod they wield in fury will be broken.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9The generous will themselves be blessed,</div><div class="q2">for they share their food with the poor.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 10Drive out the mocker, and out goes strife;</div><div class="q2">quarrels and insults are ended.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 11One who loves a pure heart and who speaks with grace</div><div class="q2">will have the king for a friend.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 12The eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge,</div><div class="q2">but he frustrates the words of the unfaithful.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 13The sluggard says, &#8220;There&#8217;s a lion outside!</div><div class="q2">I&#8217;ll be killed in the public square!&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 14The mouth of an adulterous woman is a deep pit;</div><div class="q2">a man who is under the Lord&#8217;s wrath falls into it.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 15Folly is bound up in the heart of a child,</div><div class="q2">but the rod of discipline will drive it far away.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 16One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth</div><div class="q2">and one who gives gifts to the rich&#8212;both come to poverty.</div><div class="ms1">Thirty Sayings of the Wise</div><div class="s2">Saying 1</div><div class="q1"> 17Pay attention and turn your ear to the sayings of the wise;</div><div class="q2">apply your heart to what I teach,</div><div class="q1"> 18for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart</div><div class="q2">and have all of them ready on your lips.</div><div class="q1"> 19So that your trust may be in the Lord,</div><div class="q2">I teach you today, even you.</div><div class="q1"> 20Have I not written thirty sayings for you,</div><div class="q2">sayings of counsel and knowledge,</div><div class="q1"> 21teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,</div><div class="q2">so that you bring back truthful reports</div><div class="q2">to those you serve?</div><div class="s2">Saying 2</div><div class="q1"> 22Do not exploit the poor because they are poor</div><div class="q2">and do not crush the needy in court,</div><div class="q1"> 23for the Lord will take up their case</div><div class="q2">and will exact life for life.</div><div class="s2">Saying 3</div><div class="q1"> 24Do not make friends with a hot-tempered person,</div><div class="q2">do not associate with one easily angered,</div><div class="q1"> 25or you may learn their ways</div><div class="q2">and get yourself ensnared.</div><div class="s2">Saying 4</div><div class="q1"> 26Do not be one who shakes hands in pledge</div><div class="q2">or puts up security for debts;</div><div class="q1"> 27if you lack the means to pay,</div><div class="q2">your very bed will be snatched from under you.</div><div class="s2">Saying 5</div><div class="q1"> 28Do not move an ancient boundary stone</div><div class="q2">set up by your ancestors.</div><div class="s2">Saying 6</div><div class="q1"> 29Do you see someone skilled in their work?</div><div class="q2">They will serve before kings;</div><div class="q2">they will not serve before officials of low rank.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkPSA">
 <div class="chapter ch91" data-usfm="PSA.91">
 <div class="label">91</div><div class="cl">Psalm 91</div><div class="q1"> 1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High</div><div class="q2">will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.#91:1 Hebrew Shaddai</div><div class="q1"> 2I will say of the Lord, &#8220;He is my refuge and my fortress,</div><div class="q2">my God, in whom I trust.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 3Surely he will save you</div><div class="q2">from the fowler&#8217;s snare</div><div class="q2">and from the deadly pestilence.</div><div class="q1"> 4He will cover you with his feathers,</div><div class="q2">and under his wings you will find refuge;</div><div class="q2">his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.</div><div class="q1"> 5You will not fear the terror of night,</div><div class="q2">nor the arrow that flies by day,</div><div class="q1"> 6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,</div><div class="q2">nor the plague that destroys at midday.</div><div class="q1"> 7A thousand may fall at your side,</div><div class="q2">ten thousand at your right hand,</div><div class="q2">but it will not come near you.</div><div class="q1"> 8You will only observe with your eyes</div><div class="q2">and see the punishment of the wicked.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 9If you say, &#8220;The Lord is my refuge,&#8221;</div><div class="q2">and you make the Most High your dwelling,</div><div class="q1"> 10no harm will overtake you,</div><div class="q2">no disaster will come near your tent.</div><div class="q1"> 11For he will command his angels concerning you</div><div class="q2">to guard you in all your ways;</div><div class="q1"> 12they will lift you up in their hands,</div><div class="q2">so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.</div><div class="q1"> 13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;</div><div class="q2">you will trample the great lion and the serpent.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="q1"> 14&#8220;Because he#91:14 That is, probably the king loves me,&#8221; says the Lord, &#8220;I will rescue him;</div><div class="q2">I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.</div><div class="q1"> 15He will call on me, and I will answer him;</div><div class="q2">I will be with him in trouble,</div><div class="q2">I will deliver him and honor him.</div><div class="q1"> 16With long life I will satisfy him</div><div class="q2">and show him my salvation.&#8221;</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bkREV">
 <div class="chapter ch22" data-usfm="REV.22">
 <div class="label">22</div><div class="s1">Eden Restored</div><div class="p"> 1Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. 3No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. 4They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 5There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever.</div><div class="s1">John and the Angel</div><div class="p"> 6The angel said to me, &#8220;These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God who inspires the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 7 &#8220;Look, I am coming soon! Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy written in this scroll.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 8I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. 9But he said to me, &#8220;Don&#8217;t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!&#8221;</div><div class="p"> 10Then he told me, &#8220;Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this scroll, because the time is near. 11Let the one who does wrong continue to do wrong; let the vile person continue to be vile; let the one who does right continue to do right; and let the holy person continue to be holy.&#8221;</div><div class="s1">Epilogue: Invitation and Warning</div><div class="p"> 12 &#8220;Look, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to each person according to what they have done. 13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.</div><div class="p"> 14 &#8220;Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.</div><div class="p"> 16 &#8220;I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you # 22:16 The Greek is plural. this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.&#8221;</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 17The Spirit and the bride say, &#8220;Come!&#8221; And let the one who hears say, &#8220;Come!&#8221; Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life.</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 18I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.</div><div class="p"> 20He who testifies to these things says, &#8220;Yes, I am coming soon.&#8221;</div><div class="p">Amen. Come, Lord Jesus.</div><div class="p"> 21The grace of the Lord Jesus be with God&#8217;s people. Amen.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch15" data-usfm="1CO.15">
 <div class="label">15</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection of Christ</div><div class="p"> 1Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. 2By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain.</div><div class="p"> 3For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance#15:3 Or you at the first: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5and that he appeared to Cephas,#15:5 That is, Peter and then to the Twelve. 6After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. 7Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, 8and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.</div><div class="p"> 9For I am the least of the apostles and do not even deserve to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them&#8212;yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed.</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection of the Dead</div><div class="p"> 12But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. 15More than that, we are then found to be false witnesses about God, for we have testified about God that he raised Christ from the dead. But he did not raise him if in fact the dead are not raised. 16For if the dead are not raised, then Christ has not been raised either. 17And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. 18Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. 19If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied.</div><div class="p"> 20But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. 25For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26The last enemy to be destroyed is death. 27For he &#8220;has put everything under his feet.&#8221;#15:27 Psalm 8:6 Now when it says that &#8220;everything&#8221; has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. 28When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.</div><div class="p"> 29Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptized for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptized for them? 30And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour? 31I face death every day&#8212;yes, just as surely as I boast about you in Christ Jesus our Lord. 32If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus with no more than human hopes, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,</div><div class="q1">&#8220;Let us eat and drink,</div><div class="q2">for tomorrow we die.&#8221;#15:32 Isaiah 22:13</div><div class="m"> 33Do not be misled: &#8220;Bad company corrupts good character.&#8221;#15:33 From the Greek poet Menander 34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God&#8212;I say this to your shame.</div><div class="s1">The Resurrection Body</div><div class="p"> 35But someone will ask, &#8220;How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?&#8221; 36How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. 37When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else. 38But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body. 39Not all flesh is the same: People have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another. 40There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. 41The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.</div><div class="p"> 42So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; 43it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; 44it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.</div><div class="p">If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. 45So it is written: &#8220;The first man Adam became a living being&#8221;#15:45 Gen. 2:7; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. 46The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. 47The first man was of the dust of the earth; the second man is of heaven. 48As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the heavenly man, so also are those who are of heaven. 49And just as we have borne the image of the earthly man, so shall we#15:49 Some early manuscripts so let us bear the image of the heavenly man.</div><div class="p"> 50I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. 51Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed&#8212; 52in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: &#8220;Death has been swallowed up in victory.&#8221;#15:54 Isaiah 25:8</div><div class="q1"> 55&#8220;Where, O death, is your victory?</div><div class="q2">Where, O death, is your sting?&#8221;#15:55 Hosea 13:14</div><div class="m"> 56The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="p"> 58Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk1CO">
 <div class="chapter ch16" data-usfm="1CO.16">
 <div class="label">16</div><div class="s1">The Collection for the Lord&#8217;s People</div><div class="p"> 1Now about the collection for the Lord&#8217;s people: Do what I told the Galatian churches to do. 2On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with your income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. 3Then, when I arrive, I will give letters of introduction to the men you approve and send them with your gift to Jerusalem. 4If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me.</div><div class="s1">Personal Requests</div><div class="p"> 5After I go through Macedonia, I will come to you&#8212;for I will be going through Macedonia. 6Perhaps I will stay with you for a while, or even spend the winter, so that you can help me on my journey, wherever I go. 7For I do not want to see you now and make only a passing visit; I hope to spend some time with you, if the Lord permits. 8But I will stay on at Ephesus until Pentecost, 9because a great door for effective work has opened to me, and there are many who oppose me.</div><div class="p"> 10When Timothy comes, see to it that he has nothing to fear while he is with you, for he is carrying on the work of the Lord, just as I am. 11No one, then, should treat him with contempt. Send him on his way in peace so that he may return to me. I am expecting him along with the brothers.</div><div class="p"> 12Now about our brother Apollos: I strongly urged him to go to you with the brothers. He was quite unwilling to go now, but he will go when he has the opportunity.</div><div class="p"> 13Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. 14Do everything in love.</div><div class="p"> 15You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the Lord&#8217;s people. I urge you, brothers and sisters, 16to submit to such people and to everyone who joins in the work and labors at it. 17I was glad when Stephanas, Fortunatus and Achaicus arrived, because they have supplied what was lacking from you. 18For they refreshed my spirit and yours also. Such men deserve recognition.</div><div class="s1">Final Greetings</div><div class="p"> 19The churches in the province of Asia send you greetings. Aquila and Priscilla#16:19 Greek Prisca, a variant of Priscilla greet you warmly in the Lord, and so does the church that meets at their house. 20All the brothers and sisters here send you greetings. Greet one another with a holy kiss.</div><div class="p"> 21I, Paul, write this greeting in my own hand.</div><div class="p"> 22If anyone does not love the Lord, let that person be cursed! Come, Lord#16:22 The Greek for Come, Lord reproduces an Aramaic expression (Marana tha) used by early Christians.!</div><div class="p"> 23The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you.</div><div class="p"> 24My love to all of you in Christ Jesus. Amen.#16:24 Some manuscripts do not have Amen.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CO">
 <div class="chapter ch1" data-usfm="2CO.1">
 <div class="label">1</div><div class="p"> 1Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother,</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p">To the church of God in Corinth, together with all his holy people throughout Achaia:</div><div class="b"></div><div class="p"> 2Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.</div><div class="s1">Praise to the God of All Comfort</div><div class="p"> 3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, 4who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 5For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ. 6If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. 7And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.</div><div class="p"> 8We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters,#1:8 The Greek word for brothers and sisters (adelphoi) refers here to believers, both men and women, as part of God&#8217;s family; also in 8:1; 13:11. about the troubles we experienced in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt we had received the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us again. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us, 11as you help us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gracious favor granted us in answer to the prayers of many.</div><div class="s1">Paul&#8217;s Change of Plans</div><div class="p"> 12Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity#1:12 Many manuscripts holiness and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God&#8217;s grace. 13For we do not write you anything you cannot read or understand. And I hope that, 14as you have understood us in part, you will come to understand fully that you can boast of us just as we will boast of you in the day of the Lord Jesus.</div><div class="p"> 15Because I was confident of this, I wanted to visit you first so that you might benefit twice. 16I wanted to visit you on my way to Macedonia and to come back to you from Macedonia, and then to have you send me on my way to Judea. 17Was I fickle when I intended to do this? Or do I make my plans in a worldly manner so that in the same breath I say both &#8220;Yes, yes&#8221; and &#8220;No, no&#8221;?</div><div class="p"> 18But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not &#8220;Yes&#8221; and &#8220;No.&#8221; 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us&#8212;by me and Silas#1:19 Greek Silvanus, a variant of Silas and Timothy&#8212;was not &#8220;Yes&#8221; and &#8220;No,&#8221; but in him it has always been &#8220;Yes.&#8221; 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are &#8220;Yes&#8221; in Christ. And so through him the &#8220;Amen&#8221; is spoken by us to the glory of God. 21Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, 22set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.</div><div class="p"> 23I call God as my witness&#8212;and I stake my life on it&#8212;that it was in order to spare you that I did not return to Corinth. 24Not that we lord it over your faith, but we work with you for your joy, because it is by faith you stand firm.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CO">
 <div class="chapter ch2" data-usfm="2CO.2">
 <div class="label">2</div><div class="nb"> 1So I made up my mind that I would not make another painful visit to you. 2For if I grieve you, who is left to make me glad but you whom I have grieved? 3I wrote as I did, so that when I came I would not be distressed by those who should have made me rejoice. I had confidence in all of you, that you would all share my joy. 4For I wrote you out of great distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to grieve you but to let you know the depth of my love for you.</div><div class="s1">Forgiveness for the Offender</div><div class="p"> 5If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you to some extent&#8212;not to put it too severely. 6The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient. 7Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him. 9Another reason I wrote you was to see if you would stand the test and be obedient in everything. 10Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven&#8212;if there was anything to forgive&#8212;I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes.</div><div class="s1">Ministers of the New Covenant</div><div class="p"> 12Now when I went to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ and found that the Lord had opened a door for me, 13I still had no peace of mind, because I did not find my brother Titus there. So I said goodbye to them and went on to Macedonia.</div><div class="p"> 14But thanks be to God, who always leads us as captives in Christ&#8217;s triumphal procession and uses us to spread the aroma of the knowledge of him everywhere. 15For we are to God the pleasing aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. 16To the one we are an aroma that brings death; to the other, an aroma that brings life. And who is equal to such a task? 17Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity, as those sent from God.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CO">
 <div class="chapter ch3" data-usfm="2CO.3">
 <div class="label">3</div><div class="p"> 1Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everyone. 3You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.</div><div class="p"> 4Such confidence we have through Christ before God. 5Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. 6He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant&#8212;not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.</div><div class="s1">The Greater Glory of the New Covenant</div><div class="p"> 7Now if the ministry that brought death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with glory, so that the Israelites could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of its glory, transitory though it was, 8will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? 9If the ministry that brought condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry that brings righteousness! 10For what was glorious has no glory now in comparison with the surpassing glory. 11And if what was transitory came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which lasts!</div><div class="p"> 12Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate#3:18 Or reflect the Lord&#8217;s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CO">
 <div class="chapter ch4" data-usfm="2CO.4">
 <div class="label">4</div><div class="s1">Present Weakness and Resurrection Life</div><div class="p"> 1Therefore, since through God&#8217;s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone&#8217;s conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus&#8217; sake. 6For God, who said, &#8220;Let light shine out of darkness,&#8221;#4:6 Gen. 1:3 made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God&#8217;s glory displayed in the face of Christ.</div><div class="p"> 7But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. 8We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. 10We always carry around in our body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. 11For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus&#8217; sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. 12So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.</div><div class="p"> 13It is written: &#8220;I believed; therefore I have spoken.&#8221;#4:13 Psalm 116:10 (see Septuagint) Since we have that same spirit of#4:13 Or Spirit-given faith, we also believe and therefore speak, 14because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. 15All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.</div><div class="p"> 16Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.</div>
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<div class="version vid111 iso6393eng" data-vid="111" data-iso6393="eng">
 <div class="book bk2CO">
 <div class="chapter ch5" data-usfm="2CO.5">
 <div class="label">5</div><div class="s1">Awaiting the New Body</div><div class="p"> 1For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, 3because when we are clothed, we will not be found naked. 4For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling, so that what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. 5Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.</div><div class="p"> 6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7For we live by faith, not by sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.</div><div class="s1">The Ministry of Reconciliation</div><div class="p"> 11Since, then, we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade others. What we are is plain to God, and I hope it is also plain to your conscience. 12We are not trying to commend ourselves to you again, but are giving you an opportunity to take pride in us, so that you can answer those who take pride in what is seen rather than in what is in the heart. 13If we are &#8220;out of our mind,&#8221; as some say, it is for God; if we are in our right mind, it is for you. 14For Christ&#8217;s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.</div><div class="p"> 16So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:#5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation. The old has gone, the new is here! 18All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people&#8217;s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20We are therefore Christ&#8217;s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ&#8217;s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21God made him who had no sin to be sin#5:21 Or be a sin offering for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.</div>
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