| English Standard Version | NET Bible |
| 1I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— | 1Now I, Paul, appeal to you personally by the meekness and gentleness of Christ (I who am meek when present among you, but am full of courage toward you when away!)-- |
| 2I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking according to the flesh. | 2now I ask that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence that (I expect) I will dare to use against some who consider us to be behaving according to human standards. |
| 3For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. | 3For though we live as human beings, we do not wage war according to human standards, |
| 4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. | 4for the weapons of our warfare are not human weapons, but are made powerful by God for tearing down strongholds. We tear down arguments |
| 5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, | 5and every arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. |
| 6being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. | 6We are also ready to punish every act of disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. |
| 7Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also are we. | 7You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should reflect on this again: Just as he himself belongs to Christ, so too do we. |
| 8For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. | 8For if I boast somewhat more about our authority that the Lord gave us for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of doing so. |
| 9I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. | 9I do not want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters, |
| 10For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” | 10because some say, "His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is weak and his speech is of no account." |
| 11Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. | 11Let such a person consider this: What we say by letters when we are absent, we also are in actions when we are present. |
| 12Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding. | 12For we would not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who recommend themselves. But when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. |
| 13But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. | 13But we will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine our boasting according to the limits of the work to which God has appointed us, that reaches even as far as you. |
| 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. | 14For we were not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach as far as you, because we were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel about Christ. |
| 15We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, | 15Nor do we boast beyond certain limits in the work done by others, but we hope that as your faith continues to grow, our work may be greatly expanded among you according to our limits, |
| 16so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. | 16so that we may preach the gospel in the regions that lie beyond you, and not boast of work already done in another person's area. |
| 17“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” | 17But the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. |
| 18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. | 18For it is not the person who commends himself who is approved, but the person the Lord commends. |
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