Προς Κορινθιους Β΄ 10
1 Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ, Παῦλος, παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πραΰτητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ, ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν, ἀπὼν δὲ θαρρῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς.
Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.
2 Δέομαι δὲ τὸ μὴ, παρὼν θαρρῆσαι τῇ πεποιθήσει ᾗ λογίζομαι, τολμῆσαι ἐπί τινας τοὺς λογιζομένους ἡμᾶς, ὡς κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντας.
I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.
3 Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες, οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα.
For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.
4 Τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ ˚Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες,
The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the world. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.
5 καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ,
We tear down arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.
6 καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν, ὅταν πληρωθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ ὑπακοή.
And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.
7 Τὰ κατὰ πρόσωπον βλέπετε. Εἴ τις πέποιθεν ἑαυτῷ ˚Χριστοῦ εἶναι, τοῦτο λογιζέσθω πάλιν ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ, ὅτι καθὼς αὐτὸς ˚Χριστοῦ, οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς.
You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.
8 Ἐάν τε γὰρ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν, ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ ˚Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν, οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι,
For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.
9 ἵνα μὴ δόξω ὡς ἂν ἐκφοβεῖν ὑμᾶς διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν.
I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters.
10 Ὅτι, “Αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ μέν”, φησίν, “βαρεῖαι καὶ ἰσχυραί, ἡ δὲ παρουσία τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενὴς, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἐξουθενημένος.”
For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”
11 Τοῦτο λογιζέσθω ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὅτι οἷοί ἐσμεν τῷ λόγῳ διʼ ἐπιστολῶν ἀπόντες, τοιοῦτοι καὶ παρόντες τῷ ἔργῳ.
Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.
12 Οὐ γὰρ τολμῶμεν ἐγκρῖναι ἢ συγκρῖναι ἑαυτούς, τισιν τῶν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστανόντων· ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, ἑαυτοὺς μετροῦντες καὶ συγκρίνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς, οὐ συνιᾶσιν.
We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance.
13 Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα καυχησόμεθα, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τοῦ κανόνος, οὗ ἐμέρισεν ἡμῖν ὁ ˚Θεὸς μέτρου, ἐφικέσθαι ἄχρι καὶ ὑμῶν.
We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.
14 Οὐ γὰρ ὡς μὴ ἐφικνούμενοι εἰς ὑμᾶς, ὑπερεκτείνομεν ἑαυτούς, ἄχρι γὰρ καὶ ὑμῶν ἐφθάσαμεν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ ˚Χριστοῦ·
We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ.
15 οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα καυχώμενοι ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις κόποις, ἐλπίδα δὲ ἔχοντες, αὐξανομένης τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν, ἐν ὑμῖν μεγαλυνθῆναι κατὰ τὸν κανόνα ἡμῶν εἰς περισσείαν,
Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well,
16 εἰς τὰ ὑπερέκεινα ὑμῶν εὐαγγελίσασθαι, οὐκ ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ κανόνι εἰς τὰ ἕτοιμα καυχήσασθαι.
so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man’s territory.
17 Ὁ δὲ καυχώμενος, ἐν ˚Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω.
Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”
18 Οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἑαυτὸν συνιστάνων, ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν δόκιμος, ἀλλὰ ὃν ὁ ˚Κύριος συνίστησιν.
For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
