1 F or we know that if the tent which is our earthly home is destroyed (dissolved), we have from God a building, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

For we have known that if our earthly house of the tabernacle may be thrown down, a building from God we have, an house not made with hands -- age-during -- in the heavens,

2 H ere indeed, in this, we sigh and groan inwardly, because we yearn to be clothed over with our heavenly dwelling,

for also in this we groan, with our dwelling that is from heaven earnestly desiring to clothe ourselves,

3 S o that by putting it on we may not be found naked (without a body).

if so be that, having clothed ourselves, we shall not be found naked,

4 F or while we are still in this tent, we groan under the burden and sigh deeply (weighed down, depressed, oppressed)—not that we want to put off the body (the clothing of the spirit), but rather that we would be further clothed, so that what is mortal (our dying body) may be swallowed up by life '> after the resurrection].

for we also who are in the tabernacle do groan, being burdened, seeing we wish not to unclothe ourselves, but to clothe ourselves, that the mortal may be swallowed up of the life.

5 N ow He Who has fashioned us for this very thing is God, Who also has given us the Spirit as a guarantee.

And He who did work us to this self-same thing God, who also did give to us the earnest of the Spirit;

6 S o then, we are always full of good and hopeful and confident courage; we know that while we are at home in the body, we are abroad from the home with the Lord.

having courage, then, at all times, and knowing that being at home in the body, we are away from home from the Lord, --

7 F or we walk by faith '> regulate our lives and conduct ourselves by our conviction or belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, with trust and holy fervor; thus we walk] not by sight or appearance.

for through faith we walk, not through sight --

8 w e have confident and hopeful courage and are pleased rather to be away from home out of the body and be at home with the Lord.

we have courage, and are well pleased rather to be away from the home of the body, and to be at home with the Lord.

9 T herefore, whether we are at home or away from home, we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him.

Wherefore also we are ambitious, whether at home or away from home, to be well pleasing to him,

10 F or we must all appear and be revealed as we are before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive according to what he has done in the body, whether good or evil '> what his purpose and motive have been, and what he has achieved, been busy with, and given himself and his attention to accomplishing].

for all of us it behoveth to be manifested before the tribunal of the Christ, that each one may receive the things through the body, in reference to the things that he did, whether good or evil;

11 T herefore, being conscious of fearing the Lord with respect and reverence, we seek to win people over. But what sort of persons we are is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood by God, and I hope that it is plainly recognized and thoroughly understood also by your consciences (your inborn discernment).

having known, therefore, the fear of the Lord, we persuade men, and to God we are manifested, and I hope also in your consciences to have been manifested;

12 W e are not commending ourselves to you again, but we are providing you with an occasion and incentive to be proud of us, so that you may have a reply for those who pride themselves on surface appearances '> on the virtues they only appear to have], although their heart is devoid of them.

for not again ourselves do we recommend to you, but we are giving occasion to you of glorifying in our behalf, that ye may have in reference to those glorifying in face and not in heart;

13 F or if we are beside ourselves, it is for God and concerns Him; if we are in our right mind, it is for your benefit,

for whether we were beside ourselves, to God; whether we be of sound mind -- to you,

14 F or the love of Christ controls and urges and impels us, because we are of the opinion and conviction that One died for all, then all died;

for the love of the Christ doth constrain us, having judged thus: that if one for all died, then the whole died,

15 A nd He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

and for all he died, that those living, no more to themselves may live, but to him who died for them, and was raised again.

16 C onsequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a human point of view. even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a man, yet now we know Him no longer.

So that we henceforth have known no one according to the flesh, and even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him no more;

17 T herefore if any person is in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come!

so that if any one in Christ -- a new creature; the old things did pass away, lo, become new have the all things.

18 B ut all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation.

And the all things of God, who reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and did give to us the ministration of the reconciliation,

19 I t was God in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against their trespasses, and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).

how that God was in Christ -- a world reconciling to Himself, not reckoning to them their trespasses; and having put in us the word of the reconciliation,

20 S o we are Christ’s ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We beg you for His sake to lay hold of the divine favor and be reconciled to God.

in behalf of Christ, then, we are ambassadors, as if God were calling through us, we beseech, in behalf of Christ, `Be ye reconciled to God;'

21 F or our sake He made Christ to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become '> endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of] the righteousness of God.

for him who did not know sin, in our behalf He did make sin, that we may become the righteousness of God in him.