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” –

But I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ, who, as to appearance, [when present] [am] mean among you, but absent am bold towards you;

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.

but I beseech that present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I think to be daring towards some who think of us as walking according to flesh.

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

For walking in flesh, we do not war according to flesh.

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

For the arms of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful according to God to [the] overthrow of 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,

overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ;

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

and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience shall have been fulfilled.

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.

Do ye look at what concerns appearance? If any one has confidence in himself that he is of Christ, let him think this again in himself, that even as he [is] of Christ, so also [are] we.

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 and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given [to us] for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame;

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

that I may not seem as if I was frightening you by letters:

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

because his letters, he says, [are] weighty and strong, but his presence in the body weak, and his speech naught.

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.

Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by letters [when] absent, such also present in deed.

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.

For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not intelligent.

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.

Now we will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also.

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!

For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, (for we have come to you also in the glad tidings of the 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 –

not boasting out of measure in other people's labours, but having hope, your faith increasing, to be enlarged amongst you, according to our rule, yet more abundantly

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.

to announce the glad tidings to that [which is] beyond you, not to be boasting in another's rule of things made ready to hand.

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

But he that boasts, let him 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 not he that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.