For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

So then, from now on we do not think of anyone from a human point of view. Even if we did think of the Messiah from a human point of view, we don't think of him that way anymore.

Working together with Him, we also appeal to you, “Don’t receive God’s grace in vain.”

[We have ministered] with purity, knowledge, patience and kindness. [We have done this] by [the power of] the Holy Spirit; out of genuine love;

Don't be unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?

Therefore, "Get away from them and separate yourselves from them," declares the Lord, "and don't touch anything unclean. Then I will welcome you.

Make room for us in your hearts. There is not one of you whom we have wronged, not one to whom we have done harm, not one over whom we have gained any selfish advantage.

I don’t say this to condemn you, for I have already said that you are in our hearts, to live together and to die together.

Nevertheless God, that comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus;

now I rejoice, not at your uneasiness, but at your repentance which succeeded: for your sorrow was a religious sorrow, such as convinc'd you I had done you no wrong.

For [you can look back and] see what an earnestness and authentic concern this godly sorrow has produced in you: what vindication of yourselves [against charges that you tolerate sin], what indignation [at sin], what fear [of offending God], what longing [for righteousness and justice], what passion [to do what is right], what readiness to punish [those who sin and those who tolerate sin]! At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in the matter.

Wherefore, though I wrote unto you, I did it not for his cause that had done the wrong, nor for his cause that suffered wrong, but that our care for you in the sight of God might appear unto you.

They have done more than I expected; they gave themselves to the Lord, to begin with, and then (for so God willed it) they put themselves at my disposal.

I don't mean to prescribe to you, but that the zeal of others may show you are as sincerely well-affected.

For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what you have, not according to what you don't have.

You will be made rich in everything so you can be generous in every way. This will result in people thanking God [for what you have done] through us.

I make this request so that I do not have to be bold when I am present [with you], and feel compelled to speak in an authoritative tone to some people [there] who think we are living by worldly standards.

For though we walk in the flesh, we don't wage war according to the flesh;

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

For though I should glory somewhat abundantly concerning our authority (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down), I shall not be put to shame:

I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters.

For 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.

I will not boast of any thing done without my province, but confine myself within that line by which God has mark'd out my bounds, and in which you are included.

For we don't stretch ourselves too much, as though we didn't reach to you. For we came even as far as to you with the Good News of Christ,

We are not boasting about work done by others that cannot be evaluated. On the contrary, we cherish the hope that your faith may continue to grow and enlarge our sphere of action among you until it overflows.

so that we may preach the gospel even in the lands beyond you, but not to boast in work already accomplished in another one’s field of activity.

Or, did I sin by putting myself down in order to build you people up, because I preached the Gospel of God to you without taking [financial] support?

Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!

What I say in this matter of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly.

Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I was shipwrecked, I have done a night and a day in the depth,

In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers;

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don't burn with indignation?

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forevermore, knows that I don't lie.

In Damascus, the ruler under Aretas the king kept watch over the town of the people of Damascus, in order to take me:

And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

I know a man in Christ who was caught up into the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows.

I know such a man (whether in the body, or outside of the body, I don't know; God knows),

Indeed, the signs of an apostle have been done among you with all patient endurance, both signs and wonders and deeds of power.

For what is it wherein ye were inferiors unto other congregations? Except it be therein that I was not grievous unto you. Forgive me this wrong done unto you.

For I am afraid that by any means, when I come, I might find you not the way I want to, and that I might be found by you as you don't desire; that by any means there would be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, factions, slander, whisperings, proud thoughts, riots;

And that when I come again, my God may put me to shame among you, and I may have grief for those who have done wrong before and have had no regret for their unclean ways, and for the evil desires of the flesh to which they have given way.

I said before, and still say it before I come, as being present for the second time, though I am still away from you, to those who have done wrong before, and to all the others, that if I come again I will not have pity;

Test your own selves, whether you are in the faith. Test your own selves. Or don't you know as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.

For this cause I write these things while absent, that I may not when present deal sharply, according to the authority which the Lord gave me for building up, and not for casting down.

which is not really another one; only there are certain people who are trying to unsettle you and want to turn the good news of Christ upside down.

and was progressing in Judaism beyond many contemporaries in my nation, [because] I was a far more zealous adherent of the traditions handed down by my forefathers.

[Then after that] I went to the territories of Syria and Cilicia. [Note: Cilicia was where Paul's home town of Tarsus was located. See Acts 9:30].

I went up [to Jerusalem] because of a [divine] revelation, and I put before them the gospel which I preach among the Gentiles. But I did so in private before those of reputation, for fear that I might be running or had run [the course of my ministry] in vain.

But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he had clearly done wrong.

For before certain came from James, he ate with the nations: and when they came, he drew down, and separated himself, being afraid of them of the circumcision.

For if the things I have thrown down, these I build again, I constitute myself a transgressor.

I don't make void the grace of God. For if righteousness is through the law, then Christ died for nothing!"

Therefore, as God has provided you with the Holy Spirit and has produced miracles among you, [do you think He has done all this] as a result of your obeying the requirements of the law of Moses or as a result of hearing [and responding to the message of] the faith?

but the law is not on the principle of faith; but, He that shall have done these things shall live by them.

Why then was the Law given? It was imposed later on for the sake of defining sin, until the seed should come to whom God had made the promise; and its details were laid down by a mediator with the help of angels.

I am afraid for you! I don't want my work for you to have been wasted!

I ask you, brothers, become like me, because I also [have become] like you. You have done me no [wrong]!

It is not you that have done me any injury: tho' you knew through what infirmity of the flesh I heretofore preached the gospel to you,

And when you could have been tempted to look down on me [because of the nature of my affliction], instead you welcomed me as [if I were] an angel, or even Christ Jesus Himself!

Now it is always pleasant to be eagerly sought after [provided that it is] for a good purpose, and not just when I am with you [seeking you myself—but beware of the others doing it].

but I could wish to be present with you now, and to change my tone; for I am perplexed about you.

Tell me, those of you who want to be under the law, don’t you hear the law?

For it is written, "Rejoice, you barren who don't bear. Break forth and shout, you that don't travail. For more are the children of the desolate than of her who has a husband."

Christ has liberated us to be free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.

You are for justification by the Law? Then you are done with Christ, you have deserted grace,

But I, brethren, if I still preach circumcision, why am I still persecuted? then hath the stumbling-block of the cross been done away.

For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.

But if you bite and devour one another, be careful that you don't consume one another.

For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want.

Now those things done by the sinful, physical nature [of a person] are evident; they are these: sexual immorality, moral impurity, indecent conduct,

envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you again, as I have done before, that those people who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Don’t be deceived: God is not mocked. For whatever a man sows he will also reap,

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

For even the circumcised don’t keep the law themselves; however, they want you to be circumcised in order to boast about your flesh.

The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

don't cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers,

in which he wrought in the Christ in raising him from among the dead, and he set him down at his right hand in the heavenlies,

and has raised us up together, and has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus,

For it is by His unmerited favor through faith that you have been saved; it is not by anything that you have done, it is the gift of God.

not the outcome of what you have done ??lest anyone should pride himself on that;

Wherefore remember that ye, once nations in the flesh, who are called uncircumcision by that called circumcision in the flesh done with the hand;

For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

This was done so that now God's many-sided wisdom could be made known through the church, to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms [Note: "Heavenly realms" here refers to the world around us, where these angelic beings (good or bad) view the unfolding of God's wonderful plan],

For this cause I go down on my knees before the Father,

so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through your faith. And may you, having been [deeply] rooted and [securely] grounded in love,

and that, he went up, what is it except that he also went down first to the lower parts of the earth?

he who went down is the same also who went up far above all the heavens, that He may fill all things --

[This is to be done] until we all [eventually] arrive at unity of the faith and full knowledge of the Son of God; at complete [spiritual] maturity; at the [full] height of Christ's [spiritual] stature.

So we shall no longer be children, tossed up and down, and blown about by every wind of teaching, tricked by the craft of men in the snares of misleading error;

Therefore, rejecting all falsehood [whether lying, defrauding, telling half-truths, spreading rumors, any such as these], speak truth each one with his neighbor, for we are all parts of one another [and we are all parts of the body of Christ].

Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

and don’t give the Devil an opportunity.

And don’t grieve God’s Holy Spirit. You were sealed by Him for the day of redemption.

Do not let any one deceive you with specious arguments. Those are the sins that bring down the Wrath of God upon the disobedient.

Therefore don't be partakers with them.

Don’t participate in the fruitless works of darkness, but instead expose them.

For it is a shame even to speak of those things which are done of them in secret.

For this reason He says,

“Awake, sleeper,
And arise from the dead,
And Christ will shine [as dawn] upon you and give you light.”