2 Corinthians 10

1 I, Paul, myself appeal to you, by the humility and gentleness of Christ. I am meek when I am in your presence, but I am bold toward you when I am away.

Now I Paul, myself, appeal to you by the humble-heartedness and selflessness of Christ - Paul who "in your presence is humble, but bold enough when he is absent" -

2 I beg of you that, when I am present with you, I will not need to be bold with self-confidence. But I think I will need to be bold when I oppose those who assume that we are living according to the flesh.

I beseech you, and I say, do not make me show my boldness, when I come in the boldness with which I think I shall show my courage against some who think that I am walking on the low level of the flesh.

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

Though I do walk on the low level of the flesh, I do not make war as the flesh does;

4 For the weapons we fight with are not fleshly. Instead, they have divine power to destroy strongholds. They bring to nothing misleading arguments.

for the weapons of my warfare are not weapons of the flesh, but mighty for God, in pulling down all fortresses.

5 We also destroy every high thing that rises up against the knowledge of God. We take every thought captive into obedience to Christ.

For I pull down imaginations and every crag that lifts itself against the knowledge of God. And I carry every thought away into captivity and subjection to Christ;

6 And we are getting ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

and I am fully prepared to punish every act of disobedience, when once your submission has been put beyond question.

7 Look at what is clearly in front of you. If anyone is convinced that he is Christ's, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ's, so also are we.

Look these facts in the face. If any man is fully persuaded as regards himself that he belongs to Christ, let him consider again with himself, that just as he is Christ’s, so also am I.

8 For even if I boast a little too much about our authority, which the Lord gave for us to build you up and not to destroy you, I will not be ashamed.

If, however, I were to boast more loudly concerning the authority which the Lord gave me (not to cast you down, but to build you up), I should have no cause for shame.

9 I do not want it to appear that I am terrifying you by my letters.

Let it not seem as if I were overawing you with my letters.

10 For some people say, “His letters are serious and powerful, but physically he is weak. His words are not worth listening to.”

"His letters indeed," says one, "are mighty and forcible, but his personality is weak, and his speech contemptible."

11 Let such people be aware that what we are in the words of our letters when we are absent is what we will be in our actions when we are there.

Let such a man assure himself that my actions, when I am present, will be just like my words in my letters when I am absent.

12 We do not go so far as to group ourselves or compare ourselves with those who praise themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with each other, they have no insight.

I have not indeed the audacity to class myself among, or compare myself with, certain of the self-commenders; yet they are not wise in measuring themselves by one another and in comparing themselves with one another.

13 We, however, will not boast beyond limits. Instead, we will do so only within the limits of what God has assigned to us, limits that reach as far as you.

I, however, will not indulge in undue boasting, but will confine it within the limits of the sphere to which God has assigned me - a sphere which reaches even to you.

14 For we did not overextend ourselves when we reached you. We were the first to reach as far as you with the gospel of Christ.

For I am not overstepping the limits of my authority, as though I reached you not; since I have already come even as far as Corinth to proclaim the gospel of Christ.

15 We have not boasted beyond limits about the labors of others. Instead, we expect that as your faith continues to grow, our work among you will greatly expand.

I am not "boasting beyond measure in the labors of others," but it is my hope that, as your faith goes on increasing among yourselves, by the enlargement of my appointed limits,

16 We hope for this, so that we may preach the gospel even in regions beyond you. We will not boast about the work being done in another's area.

I may carry the gospel to countries beyond you; and not be boasting of work made ready to my hand within another man’s limit.

17 “But let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”

Meanwhile. Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.

18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved. Instead, it is the one whom the Lord recommends.

For a man is proved worthy, not by his self-commendation, but when he is commended by the Lord.