1 O ur body is like a house we live in here on earth. When it is destroyed, we know that God has another body for us in heaven. The new one will not be made by human hands as a house is made. This body will last forever.

For 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.

2 R ight now we cry inside ourselves because we wish we could have our new body which we will have in heaven.

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

3 W e will not be without a body. We will live in a new body.

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

4 W hile we are in this body, we cry inside ourselves because things are hard for us. It is not that we want to die. Instead, we want to live in our new bodies. We want this dying body to be changed into a living body that lasts forever.

For 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].

5 I t is God Who has made us ready for this change. He has given us His Spirit to show us what He has for us.

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

6 W e are sure of this. We know that while we are at home in this body we are not with the Lord.

So 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.

7 O ur life is lived by faith. We do not live by what we see in front of us.

For 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.

8 W e are sure we will be glad to be free of these bodies. It will be good to be at home with the Lord.

we 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.

9 S o if we stay here on earth or go home to Him, we always want to please Him.

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

10 F or all of us must stand before Christ when He says who is guilty or not guilty. Each one will receive pay for what he has done. He will be paid for the good or the bad done while he lived in this body.

For 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].

11 B ecause of this, we know the fear of God. So we try to get men to put their trust in Christ. God knows us. I hope that your hearts know me well also.

Therefore, 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).

12 W e do not want to sound as if we think we are so important. Instead, we are making it easy for you to be proud of us. In that way, you will be able to tell them about us. They always talk about the way people look, but do not care about their hearts.

We 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.

13 A re we crazy to talk like this? It is all because of what God has done. If we are using our minds well, it is for you.

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

14 F or the love of Christ puts us into action. We are sure that Christ died for everyone. So, because of that, everyone has a part in His death.

For 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;

15 C hrist died for everyone so that they would live for Him. They should not live to please themselves but for Christ Who died on a cross and was raised from the dead for them.

And 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.

16 S o from now on, we do not think about what people are like by looking at them. We even thought about Christ that way one time. But we do not think of Him that way anymore.

Consequently, 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.

17 F or if a man belongs to Christ, he is a new person. The old life is gone. New life has begun.

Therefore 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!

18 A ll this comes from God. He is the One Who brought us to Himself when we hated Him. He did this through Christ. Then He gave us the work of bringing others to Him.

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

19 G od was in Christ. He was working through Christ to bring the whole world back to Himself. God no longer held men’s sins against them. And He gave us the work of telling and showing men this.

It 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).

20 W e are Christ’s missionaries. God is speaking to you through us. We are speaking for Christ and we ask you from our hearts to turn from your sins and come to God.

So 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.

21 C hrist never sinned but God put our sin on Him. Then we are made right with God because of what Christ has done for us.

For 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.