2 Corinthians 4

¹ Such by God's mercy is our ministry, and therefore we do not waver

² but have renounced al shameful secrecy. It is not our way to be devious, or to falsify the word of God;instead, in God's sight we commend ourselves to every human being with a conscience by showing the truthopenly.

³ If our gospel seems to be veiled at al , it is so to those who are on the way to destruction,

⁴ the unbelievers whose minds have been blinded by the god of this world, so that they cannot seeshining the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

⁵ It is not ourselves that we are proclaiming, but Christ Jesus as the Lord, and ourselves as your servantsfor Jesus' sake.

⁶ It is God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' that has shone into our hearts to enlighten themwith the knowledge of God's glory, the glory on the face of Christ.

⁷ But we hold this treasure in pots of earthenware, so that the immensity of the power is God's and notour own.

⁸ We are subjected to every kind of hardship, but never distressed; we see no way out but we neverdespair;

⁹ we are pursued but never cut off; knocked down, but stil have some life in us;

¹⁰ always we carry with us in our body the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible inour body.

¹¹ Indeed, while we are stil alive, we are continually being handed over to death, for the sake of Jesus,so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our mortal flesh.

¹² In us, then, death is at work; in you, life.

¹³ But as we have the same spirit of faith as is described in scripture -- I believed and therefore I spoke-we, too, believe and therefore we, too, speak,

¹⁴ realising that he who raised up the Lord Jesus wil raise us up with Jesus in our turn, and bring us tohimself -- and you as wel .

¹⁵ You see, everything is for your benefit, so that as grace spreads, so, to the glory of God, thanksgivingmay also overflow among more and more people.

¹⁶ That is why we do not waver; indeed, though this outer human nature of ours may be fal ing intodecay, at the same time our inner human nature is renewed day by day.

¹⁷ The temporary, light burden of our hardships is earning us for ever an utterly incomparable, eternalweight of glory,

¹⁸ since what we aim for is not visible but invisible. Visible things are transitory, but invisible thingseternal.