| International Standard Version | New Living Translation |
| 1We know that if the earthly tent we live in is torn down, we have a building in heaven that comes from God, an eternal house not built by human hands. | 1For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands. |
| 2For in this one we sigh, since we long to put on our heavenly dwelling. | 2We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. |
| 3Of course, if we do put it on, we will not be found without a body. | 3For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. |
| 4So while we are still in this tent, we sigh under our burdens, because we do not want to put it off but to put it on, so that our dying bodies may be swallowed up by life. | 4While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. |
| 5God has prepared us for this and has given us his Spirit as a guarantee. | 5God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit. |
| 6Therefore, we are always confident, and we know that as long as we are at home in this body we are away from the Lord. | 6So we are always confident, even though we know that as long as we live in these bodies we are not at home with the Lord. |
| 7For we live by faith, not by sight. | 7For we live by believing and not by seeing. |
| 8We are confident, then, and would prefer to be away from this body and to live with the Lord. | 8Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. |
| 9So whether we are at home or away from home, our goal is to be pleasing to him. | 9So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. |
| 10For all of us must appear before the judgment seat of the Messiah, so that each of us may receive what he deserves for what he has done in his body, whether good or worthless. | 10For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body. We Are God’s Ambassadors |
| 11Therefore, since we know what it means to fear the Lord, we try to persuade people. We ourselves are perfectly known to God. I hope we are also really known to your consciences. | 11Because we understand our fearful responsibility to the Lord, we work hard to persuade others. God knows we are sincere, and I hope you know this, too. |
| 12We are not recommending ourselves to you again but are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so that you can answer those who are proud of outward things rather than inward character. | 12Are we commending ourselves to you again? No, we are giving you a reason to be proud of us, so you can answer those who brag about having a spectacular ministry rather than having a sincere heart. |
| 13So if we were crazy, it was for God; if we are sane, it is for you. | 13If it seems we are crazy, it is to bring glory to God. And if we are in our right minds, it is for your benefit. |
| 14The love of the Messiah controls us, for we are convinced of this: that one person died for all people; therefore, all people have died. | 14Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. |
| 15He died for all people, so that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for the one who died and rose for them. | 15He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. |
| 16So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don't think of him that way anymore. | 16So we have stopped evaluating others from a human point of view. At one time we thought of Christ merely from a human point of view. How differently we know him now! |
| 17Therefore, if anyone is in the Messiah, he is a new creation. Old things have disappeared, and—look!—all things have become new! | 17This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! |
| 18All of this comes from God, who has reconciled us to himself through the Messiah and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, | 18And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. |
| 19for through the Messiah, God was reconciling the world to himself by not counting their sins against them. He has committed his message of reconciliation to us. | 19For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. |
| 20Therefore, we are the Messiah's representatives, as though God were pleading through us. We plead on the Messiah's behalf: "Be reconciled to God!" | 20So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” |
| 21God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that God's righteousness would be produced in us. | 21For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ. |
The Holy Bible: International Standard Version® Release 2.1 Copyright © 1996-2012 The ISV Foundation
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED INTERNATIONALLY. | Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved. |
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