| Holman Christian Standard Bible | English Standard Version |
| 1Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ--I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. | 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!— |
| 2I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way. | 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. |
| 3For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, | 3For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. |
| 4since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments | 4For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. |
| 5and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. | 5We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, |
| 6And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed. | 6being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete. |
| 7Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. | 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. |
| 8For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed. | 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. |
| 9I don't want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. | 9I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. |
| 10For it is said, "His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable." | 10For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account.” |
| 11Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present. | 11Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. |
| 12For we don't dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, they lack understanding. | 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. |
| 13We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even to you. | 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. |
| 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. | 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. |
| 15We are not bragging beyond measure about other people's labors. But we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, | 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, |
| 16so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you, not boasting about what has already been done in someone else's area of ministry. | 16so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. |
| 17So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. | 17“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” |
| 18For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends. | 18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. |
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