2 Corinthians 10

1 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” –

Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.

2 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.

I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.

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

For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.

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

The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

5 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,

We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

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

And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

7 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.

You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.

8 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.

For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

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

I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters.

10 For people say “His letters are impressive and vigorous, but his personal appearance is insignificant and his speaking contemptible.”

For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”

11 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.

Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.

12 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.

We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance.

13 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.

We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.

14 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!

We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ.

15 Our boasting, therefore, is not unlimited, nor does it extend to the labors 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 –

Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well,

16 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.

so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man’s territory.

17 Let anyone who boasts make their boast of the Lord.

Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”

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

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