| New American Standard Bible 1995 | NET 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, 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 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. | 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 do not 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 divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. | 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 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 arrogant obstacle that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to make it obey Christ. |
| 6and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. | 6We are also ready to punish every act of disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete. |
| 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. | 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 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 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. |
| 9for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by 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 personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible." | 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 consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed 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. |
| 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 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 our measure, but within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as 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 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 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. |
| 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, | 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 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 preach the gospel in the regions that lie beyond you, and not boast of work already done in another person's area. |
| 17But HE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD. | 17But 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 person who commends himself who is approved, but the person 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 | NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. //netbible.com. Used by permission. All rights reserved. |
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