Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. (A)Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that (B)Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test! I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. For we are glad when (C)we are weak and you are strong. Your (D)restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come (E)I may not have to be (F)severe in my use of (G)the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

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Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unqualified? And I hope that you will recognize that we are not unqualified! Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even though we are seen as though unqualified. For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but rather only for the truth. For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong, and we pray for this: your maturity. 10 Because of this, I am writing these things although I[a] am absent, in order that when I[b] am present I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 13:10 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am absent”) which is understood as concessive
  2. 2 Corinthians 13:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am present”) which is understood as temporal