| Christian Standard Bible | New Living Translation |
| 1Therefore, since we have this ministry because we were shown mercy, we do not give up. | 1Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. |
| 2Instead, we have renounced secret and shameful things, not acting deceitfully or distorting the word of God, but commending ourselves before God to everyone's conscience by an open display of the truth. | 2We reject all shameful deeds and underhanded methods. We don’t try to trick anyone or distort the word of God. We tell the truth before God, and all who are honest know this. |
| 3But if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. | 3If the Good News we preach is hidden behind a veil, it is hidden only from people who are perishing. |
| 4In their case, the god of this age has blinded the minds of the unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. | 4Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God. |
| 5For we are not proclaiming ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus's sake. | 5You see, we don’t go around preaching about ourselves. We preach that Jesus Christ is Lord, and we ourselves are your servants for Jesus’ sake. |
| 6For God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. | 6For God, who said, “Let there be light in the darkness,” has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know the glory of God that is seen in the face of Jesus Christ. |
| 7Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us. | 7We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves. |
| 8We are afflicted in every way but not crushed; we are perplexed but not in despair; | 8We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair. |
| 9we are persecuted but not abandoned; we are struck down but not destroyed. | 9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. |
| 10We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be displayed in our body. | 10Through suffering, our bodies continue to share in the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus may also be seen in our bodies. |
| 11For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus's sake, so that Jesus's life may also be displayed in our mortal flesh. | 11Yes, we live under constant danger of death because we serve Jesus, so that the life of Jesus will be evident in our dying bodies. |
| 12So then, death is at work in us, but life in you. | 12So we live in the face of death, but this has resulted in eternal life for you. |
| 13And since we have the same spirit of faith in keeping with what is written, I believed, therefore I spoke, we also believe, and therefore speak. | 13But we continue to preach because we have the same kind of faith the psalmist had when he said, “I believed in God, so I spoke.” |
| 14For we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you. | 14We know that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise us with Jesus and present us to himself together with you. |
| 15Indeed, everything is for your benefit so that, as grace extends through more and more people, it may cause thanksgiving to increase to the glory of God. | 15All of this is for your benefit. And as God’s grace reaches more and more people, there will be great thanksgiving, and God will receive more and more glory. |
| 16Therefore we do not give up. Even though our outer person is being destroyed, our inner person is being renewed day by day. | 16That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. |
| 17For our momentary light affliction is producing for us an absolutely incomparable eternal weight of glory. | 17For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! |
| 18So we do not focus on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. | 18So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever. |
| The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. | 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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