| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. | 1Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away. |
| 2But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. | 2I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh. |
| 3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. | 3For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh. |
| 4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, | 4The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. |
| 5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, | 5We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. |
| 6and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. | 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete. |
| 7Do you look at things according to the outward appearance? If anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even so we are Christ’s. | 7You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does. |
| 8For even if I should boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave us for edification and not for your destruction, I shall not be ashamed— | 8For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed. |
| 9lest I seem to terrify you by letters. | 9I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters. |
| 10“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.” | 10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.” |
| 11Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present. | 11Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present. |
| 12For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. | 12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance. |
| 13We, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. | 13We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you. |
| 14For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; | 14We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ. |
| 15not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, in other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, | 15Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well, |
| 16to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment. | 16so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man’s territory. |
| 17But “he who glories, let him glory in the LORD.” | 17Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.” |
| 18For not he who commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends. | 18For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends. |
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