2 Corinthians 10
1 Now I myself, Paul, appeal to you in a gentle and humble way, like Christ [would. Certain people among you have falsely accused me by saying], “When [Paul] is with you, he is humble [and speaks gently] to you, but when he is away from you, [in the letters he writes to you] he threatens [to punish] you.” [Those people claim that I do not have authority over you as an apostle].
Ik Paulus zelf, bid u, — als die tegenwoordig zijnde wel gering ben onder u, doch afwezig zijnde stoutmoedig ben tegen u, — bij de zachtmoedigheid en goedertierenheid van Christus,
2 I strongly plead with you, “[Please do not listen to people who say things like that!]” [I strongly plead with you not to listen to them], so that when I am there [with you] I will not [need to] speak severely [to you] in the same severe way as I [plan to] speak to those people who think that I behave like people who are not believers.
bid ik u dat ik tegenwoordig zijnde niet stoutmoedig moge zijn met die vrijmoedigheid waarmede ik geacht word stoutmoedig te zijn tegen sommigen die ons achten alsof wij naar het vleesch wandelen.
3 [Remember that] although I am [human like everyone else] in the world, I do not fight [against those who oppose me] in the way that people who are not believers fight those who oppose them.
Want ofschoon wij wandelen in het vleesch, zoo strijden wij toch niet naar het vleesch.
4 [I will tell you what I mean by that: Just like soldiers use] various weapons [to fight their enemies] [MET], [I] ([fight against/oppose]) [those who] oppose God’s message, but I do it in a different way. I do not [use human arguments and clever/sweet talk], like unbelievers do. Instead, [I fight against my opponents] with the powerful means that God [has given me]. With that power [I destroy their arguments against God’s message and against me, just like soldiers destroy] [MET] the fortresses [of their enemies].
Want de wapenen van onzen strijd zijn niet vleeschelijk, maar krachtig voor God tot nederwerping van sterkten,
5 [Specifically], I show that the [human] arguments that they use to deceive [people are completely wrong]. When they [proudly say things that] keep other people from knowing God, [I show them that they are completely wrong. I also enable people to] change their ways of thinking so that they think about everything as Christ [wants them to think].
redeneeringen nederwerpende en alle hoogte die zich verheft tegen de kennis van God, en gevangen nemende alle verstand tot de gehoorzaamheid van Christus;
6 I am also ready to discipline everyone [among you] who has not obeyed [the things that Christ taught. I will do this] as soon as you [who truly want to obey Christ show me that] you are [going to] obey him completely.
en gereed zijnde om alle ongehoorzaamheid te straffen, als uw gehoorzaamheid volkomen zal zijn.
7 [I want you to understand what is] happening among you. There are certain [people there who are telling you that] they know for sure that they are Christ’s [representatives and that I am not]. Those people should realize that I [represent] Christ as much as they do.
Aanziet gij dan de dingen die voor oogen zijn? Als iemand zich zelven acht van Christus te zijn, die moet wederom bij zich zelven bedenken dat ook wij van Christus zijn zooals hij is.
8 [I say that] because the authority that the Lord gave me [as his apostle] is to help you to become mature believers, not to cause you to stop [trusting in Christ]. So even if I were to boast a little more than I have [already done] (OR, proudly talk a little more than I have [already talked] about the authority the Lord gave me [as his apostle]), [no one would be able to make me] ashamed [by proving that Jesus has not given me that authority].
Want al zou ik ook wat overvloediger roemen over onze macht die de Heere gegeven heeft tot uw opbouwing en niet tot uw nederwerping, ook dan zou ik niet beschaamd worden.
9 I do not intend to make you afraid of me by the letters that I [write to you].
Maar opdat ik niet den schijn zou hebben door de brieven te willen bevreesd maken,
10 [I say that] because some people are saying, “[When Paul writes] letters, he says severe things [in order to make you obey him], but when he is here with you, [people look at him and say] he is weak, and he certainly is not a skillful speaker.”
— want de brieven, zeggen zij, zijn wel krachtig en gewichtig, maar de tegenwoordigheid des lichaams is zwak en het woord is verachtelijk
11 The [people who say] such things should think carefully about this: The kind of [severe] person that [you think] me to be when you read my letters is exactly the kind of person I will be when I come. [I will do what I wrote that I would do].
zoo moet de zoodanige berekenen dat hetgeen wij in woorden door brieven zijn, als wij afwezig zijn, wij ook zoodanig zijn inderdaad als wij tegenwoordig zijn.
12 [Those who oppose me] tell others how good they are. [If they really were superior to me] [IRO], I would not be so bold as to say that I [was equal to them, or] to compare myself with them. [But they are not superior to me]. They make up their own standards [about what God’s servants should be like], and then they look at their own [conduct] and decide [whether or not they meet those standards. By doing that, they show that] they are foolish.
Want wij zijn niet stoutmoedig, om ons zelven te rekenen of te vergelijken met sommigen die zich zelven aanbevelen. Maar die zijn onverstandig, daar zij zich zelven met zich zelven meten en zich zelven met zich zelven vergelijken.
13 But as for me, I will not boast about [working among people living in] areas outside of the areas [that God sent/assigned me to work in]. But [it is right for] me to say that [I have worked] in the areas that God assigned to me. [And since those areas] include the one where you live,
Doch wij zullen niet boven de mate roemen, maar naar de mate van den regel dien God ons toegevoegd heeft om ook tot bij ulieden te strekken.
14 [when I talk about working among you], I am not boasting [about working in an area where God did not give me the right to work. What those who oppose me say about my not having authority as an apostle to you might be true] if I had not already come all the way to your area. [But that is not true], because I was the one who first brought the message about Christ to you. [I came to Corinth before they did]!
Want wij strekken ons niet te ver uit, alsof wij niet tot u zouden reiken, want wij zijn ook tot bij u gekomen in het Evangelie van Christus.
15 Also, [my opponents] boast about work that others have done [as if it were their own work]. It is improper for them to do that, but I do not do as they do. I confidently expect that as you trust more and more [in the gospel that I preach], you will more and more [agree that God has given me the right to] work [as Christ’s representative] among you.
Niet roemende boven mate in den arbeid van anderen, maar hopende dat, als uw geloof zal vermeerderd zijn, wij onder u zullen grooter worden naar onzen werkkring,
16 Then I will be able to go to places beyond where you [are]. I will be able to tell the good message about Christ [to people in areas where no one has yet gone to tell that message]. And [I will be able to talk about the work I myself have done in that area], instead of boasting about work that someone else has already done [as if it were my work].
om het Evangelie te verkondigen tot de landen die voorbij u gelegen zijn, om niet te roemen in den werkkring van anderen die reeds bereid is.
17 [I try to do according to what someone/Jeremiah wrote in the Scriptures], If anyone wants to boast [about something], he should boast [only] about what the Lord [God has done].
Doch die roemt roeme in den Heere.
18 [You can realize, then, that] it is not those who (praise themselves/tell you what great things they have done), [as my opponents do], whom you should accept [as apostles]. Instead, you [should accept as true apostles only] those whom the Lord commends.
Want niet die zich zelven prijst, die is goedgekeurd, maar dien de Heere prijst.
