| New King James Version | New Living Translation |
| 1Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. | 1Therefore, since God in his mercy has given us this new way, we never give up. |
| 2But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. | 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 even 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. |
| 4whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them. | 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 do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and ourselves your bondservants for Jesus’ 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 it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God 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. |
| 7But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of 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 hard-pressed on every side, yet 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. |
| 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— | 9We are hunted down, but never abandoned by God. We get knocked down, but we are not destroyed. |
| 10always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested 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 delivered to death for Jesus’ sake, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested 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 working 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, according to what is written, “I believed and 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.” |
| 14knowing that He who raised up the Lord Jesus will also raise us up with Jesus, and will 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. |
| 15For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound 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 lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man 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 light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and 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! |
| 18while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are 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 Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved. | 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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