2 Corinthians 10

1 Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence [am] base among you, but being absent am bold towards you:

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’ –

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

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.

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

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

4 (For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; )

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

5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

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,

6 And having in a readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

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

7 Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trusteth to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he [is] Christ's, even so [are] we Christ's.

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.

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

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.

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

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

10 For [his] letters (say they) [are] weighty and powerful; but [his] bodily presence [is] weak, and [his] speech contemptible.

For people say ‘His letters are impressive and vigorous, but his personal appearance is insignificant and his speaking contemptible.’

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

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.

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

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.

13 But we will not boast of things without [our] measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even to you.

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.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond [our measure], as though we reached not to you; for we are come as far as to you also in [preaching] the gospel of Christ:

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!

15 Not boasting of things without [our] measure, [that is], of other men's labors; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you, according to our rule abundantly,

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

16 To preach the gospel in the [regions] beyond you, [and] not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

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.

17 But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

Let anyone who boasts make their boast of the Lord.

18 For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.

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