2 Corinthians 10

1 Now I, Paul, myself appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when with you face to face, but bold toward you when absent!

Now I, the same Paul, who, when present among you, am timid, but when absent, am bold toward you, entreat you, by the mildness and gentleness of Christ;

2 I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think that we walk according to the flesh.

I, indeed, beseech you, that I may not, when present, be bold with that confidence with which I think I shall be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

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

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

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

(for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty, through God, for the overthrowing of strongholds, )

5 We tear down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.

overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought to the obedience of the Christ,

6 We are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

and being ready to take vengeance on all disobedience, when your obedience shall have been fully established.

7 Are you looking only at outward appearances? If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that just as he belongs to Christ, so we also belong to Christ.

Do you look on things according to the outward appearance? If any one trusts in himself, that he is Christ’s, let him again reason thus of himself: that as he is Christ’s, so also are we.

8 For even if I boast somewhat further about our authority (which the Lord has given us for building you up and not for tearing you down), I will not be ashamed.

For though I should boast even, somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I would not be ashamed:

9 For I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you by my letters.

that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

10 For, “His letters,” they say, “are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech amounts to nothing.”

For his letters, says one, are weighty and powerful, but his bodily presence is weak, and his style of speech contemptible.

11 The people who say such things should realize that what we say in our letters when we are absent, we will demonstrate by our actions when we are present.

Let such a one conclude thus―that such as we are in word, by letters, while absent, such also will we be in deed, when present.

12 For we do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves with one another and compare themselves to one another, they do not show good sense.

For we do not presume to rank or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves: but they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, have no understanding.

13 We, however, will not boast beyond certain limits, but will confine our boasting to the area of ministry that God has assigned to us, which reaches even as far as you.

But we will not boast ourselves with respect to regions not measured to us; but according to the measure of the line which God, who measures, has appointed for us to reach even to you.

14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.

For we do not stretch ourselves too far, as if we did not come to you: for even as far as to you, have we already come in the gospel of the Christ,

15 We do not go beyond our limits by boasting in the labors of others. On the contrary, our hope is that, as your faith increases, our area of ministry among you will be greatly expanded,

not boasting ourselves in the labors of others in regions not measured off to us, but having hope that, when your faith is increased, we shall be magnified among you abundantly, according to our line,

16 so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, without boasting about work already done in someone else's area of ministry.

so as to preach the gospel in regions beyond you, and not to boast in regions made ready under another man’s line.

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

But let him that boasts, boast in the Lord:

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

for he that commends himself is not approved; but he whom the Lord commends.