| Christian Standard Bible | Holman Christian Standard Bible |
| 1Now I Paul, myself, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble among you in person 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 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 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 although we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh, | 3For though we live in the body, we do not wage war in an unspiritual way, |
| 4since the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments | 4since the weapons of our warfare are not worldly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments |
| 5and every proud thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey 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 any disobedience, once your obedience is complete. | 6And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed. |
| 7Look at what is obvious. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, let him remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do 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 if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, 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. |
| 9I don't want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. | 9I don't want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. |
| 10For it is said, "His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak and his public speaking amounts to nothing." | 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: What we are in our letters, when we are absent, we will also be in our actions when we are 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 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. | 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. |
| 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. | 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 had not reached you, since we have come to you with 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. |
| 15We are not boasting beyond measure about other people's labors. On the contrary, we have the hope that as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, | 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 that we may preach the gospel to the regions beyond you without boasting about what has already been done in someone else's area of ministry. | 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. |
| 17So let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord. | 17So the one who boasts must 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 commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends. |
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