| New American Standard Bible 1995 | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ-- I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! | 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. |
| 2I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh. | 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. |
| 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, | 3For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, |
| 4for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. | 4since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments |
| 5We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, | 5and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. |
| 6and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. | 6And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed. |
| 7You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so also are we. | 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. |
| 8For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, | 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. |
| 9for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. | 9I don't 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 personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible." | 10For it is said, "His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable." |
| 11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present. | 11Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present. |
| 12For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. | 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. |
| 13But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. | 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. |
| 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ; | 14For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. |
| 15not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other men's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our sphere, enlarged even more by you, | 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, |
| 16so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. | 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. |
| 17But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD. | 17So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. |
| 18For it is not he who commends himself that is approved, but he whom the Lord commends. | 18For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends. |
| New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org | Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. |
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