2 Corinthians 10

1 Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Meshikha; I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you.

Now, I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ – I who, ‘in your presence, am humble in my bearing towards you, but, when absent, am bold in my language to you’ –

2 But I implore you that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence with which I intend on showing against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh.

I implore you not to drive me to ‘show my boldness,’ when I do come, by the confident tone which I expect to have to adopt towards some of you, who are expecting to find us influenced in our conduct by earthly motives.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh;

For, though we live an earthly life, we do not wage an earthly war.

4 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty in God for the tearing down of strongholds,

The weapons for our warfare are not earthly, but, under God, are powerful enough to pull down strongholds.

5 throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Meshikha;

We are engaged in confuting arguments and pulling down every barrier raised against the knowledge of God. We are taking captive every hostile thought, to bring it into submission to the Christ,

6 and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience will be made full.

and are fully prepared to punish every act of rebellion, when once your submission is complete.

7 Do you look at things only as they appear in front of your face? If anyone trusts in himself that he is Meshikha's, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Meshikha's, so also we are Meshikha's.

You look at the outward appearance of things! Let anyone, who is confident that he belongs to Christ, reflect, for himself, again on the fact – that we belong to Christ no less than he does.

8 For though I should boast somewhat abundantly concerning our authority, (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down) I will not be disappointed,

Even if I boast extravagantly about our authority – which the Lord gave us for building up your faith and not for overthrowing it – still I have no reason to be ashamed.

9 that I may not seem as if I desire to terrify you by my letters.

I say this so that it doesn’t seem as if I am trying to overawe you by my letters.

10 For, "His letters," they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised."

For people say ‘His letters are impressive and vigorous, but his personal appearance is insignificant and his speaking contemptible.’

11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.

Let such a person be assured of this – that our words in our letters show us to be, when absent, just what our deeds will show us to be, when present.

12 For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

We have not indeed the audacity to class or compare ourselves with some of those who indulge in self-commendation! But, when such persons measure themselves by themselves, and compare themselves with themselves, they show a want of wisdom.

13 But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which God appointed to us, which reach even to you.

We, however, will not give way to unlimited boasting, but will confine ourselves to the limits of the sphere to which God limited us, when he permitted us to come as far as Corinth.

14 For we do not stretch ourselves too much, as though we did not reach to you. For we came even as far as to you with the Good News of Meshikha,

For it is not the case, as it would be if we were not in the habit of coming to you, that we are exceeding our bounds! Why, we were the very first to reach you with the good news of the Christ!

15 not boasting excessively in the work done by others, but having hope that as your faith grows, we will be abundantly enlarged by you in our sphere of influence,

Our boasting, therefore, is not unlimited, nor does it extend to the labours of others; but our hope is that, as your faith grows, our influence among you may be very greatly increased – though still confined to our sphere –

16 so as to preach the Good News even to the regions beyond you, not to boast in what someone else has already done.

So that we will be able to tell the good news in the districts beyond you, without trespassing on the sphere assigned to others, or boasting of what has been already done.

17 But "he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."

Let anyone who boasts make their boast of the Lord.

18 For it is not he who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends.

For it is not those who commend themselves that stand the test, but those who are commended by the Lord.