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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml"><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" /><meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1" /><title>2 Corinthians 4 ESV</title><link rel="stylesheet" href="/chapnew2.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="../spec.css" type="text/css" media="Screen" /><link rel="stylesheet" href="/print.css" type="text/css" media="Print" /></head><body><div id="fx"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx2"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="30" scrolling="no" src="../cmenus/2_corinthians/4.htm" align="left" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div><div id="blnk"></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable"><tr><td><div id="fx5"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" id="fx6"><tr><td><iframe width="100%" height="245" scrolling="no" src="../topmenuchap/2_corinthians/4-1.htm" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" class="maintable3"><tr><td><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center" id="announce"><tr><td><div id="l1"><div id="breadcrumbs"><a href="http://biblehub.com">Bible</a> > <a href="../">ESV</a> > 2 Corinthians 4</div><div id="anc"><iframe src="/anc.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></div><div id="anc2"><table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><iframe src="/anc2.htm" width="100%" height="27" scrolling="no" frameborder="0"></iframe></td></tr></table></div></div></td></tr></table><div id="movebox2"><table border="0" align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0"><tr><td><div id="topheading"><a href="../2_corinthians/3.htm" title="2 Corinthians 3">◄</a> 2 Corinthians 4 <a href="../2_corinthians/5.htm" title="2 Corinthians 5">►</a></div></td></tr></table></div><div align="center" class="maintable2"><table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" align="center"><tr><td><div id="leftbox"><div class="padleft"><div class="vheading"><table width="100%"><tr><td width="99%" valign="top">English Standard Version</td><td width="1%" valign="top"><a href="/p/esv/nas/2_corinthians/4.shtml" style="color:#001320" title="Parallel Chapters"> Par ▾ </a></tr></table></div></a><div class="chap"><p class="heading">The Light of the Gospel</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-1.htm"><b>1</b></a></span>Therefore, having this ministry by the mercy of God,<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Greek having this ministry as we have received mercy">a</a></sup></span> we do not lose heart. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-2.htm"><b>2</b></a></span>But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We refuse to practice<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Greek to walk in">b</a></sup></span> cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in the sight of God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-3.htm"><b>3</b></a></span>And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-4.htm"><b>4</b></a></span>In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-5.htm"><b>5</b></a></span>For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Or slaves (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word doulos, see Preface)">c</a></sup></span> for Jesus’ sake. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-6.htm"><b>6</b></a></span>For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.</p> <p class="heading">Treasure in Jars of Clay</p><p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-7.htm"><b>7</b></a></span>But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-8.htm"><b>8</b></a></span>We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-9.htm"><b>9</b></a></span>persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-10.htm"><b>10</b></a></span>always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-11.htm"><b>11</b></a></span>For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-12.htm"><b>12</b></a></span>So death is at work in us, but life in you.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-13.htm"><b>13</b></a></span>Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-14.htm"><b>14</b></a></span>knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-15.htm"><b>15</b></a></span>For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.</p> <p class="regular"><span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-16.htm"><b>16</b></a></span>So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self<span class="footnote"><sup><a href="#footnotes" title="Greek man">d</a></sup></span> is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-17.htm"><b>17</b></a></span>For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, <span class="reftext"><a href="http://biblehub.com/2_corinthians/4-18.htm"><b>18</b></a></span>as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.</p><A name="footnotes"></a><hr size="1" color="DDEEFF"><span class="mainfootnotes"><span class="mainfootnoteshdg">Footnotes:</span><br><span class="footnotesbot">a</span> <span class="fnverse">1</span> Greek <i>having this ministry as we have received mercy</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">b</span> <span class="fnverse">2</span> Greek <i><span class="catch-word">to</span> walk in</i><br /><span class="footnotesbot">c</span> <span class="fnverse">5</span> Or <i>slaves</i> (for the contextual rendering of the Greek word <i language="Greek">doulos</i>, see <a href="../">>Preface</a>)<br /><span class="footnotesbot">d</span> <span class="fnverse">16</span> Greek <i>man</i><br /></span></div></div><div id="botbox"><div class="padbot"><div align="center">ESV Text Edition® (2016).<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by <a href="http://www.crossway.org/home/esv/">Crossway Bibles</a>, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.<br /><br />The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) is adapted from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. 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