2 Korintiana 10

1 Ary ny tenako, izaho Paoly, dia mananatra anareo amin’ ny hamoram-panahy sy ny fandeferan’ i Kristy, dia izaho, izay manetry tena, hono, raha eo anatrehanareo, fa sahy aminareo kosa, raha tsy eo.

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].

2 Dia mangataka aho mba tsy ho sahy, rehefa tonga, amin’ ny fahatokiana izay kasaiko hahasahiana amin’ ny sasany, izay manao anay ho mandeha araka ny nofo.

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.

3 Fa na dia velona amin’ ny nofo aza izahay, dia tsy mba miady araka ny nofo

[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.

4 (fa tsy avy amin’ ny nofo ny fiadian’ ny tafikay, fa mahery amin’ Andriamanitra handrava fiarovana mafy);

[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].

5 fa mandrava ny fisainana sy ny zavatra avo rehetra izay atsangana hanohitra ny fahalalana an’ Andriamanitra izahay ka mamabo ny hevitra rehetra hanaiky an’ i Kristy,

[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].

6 ary vonona hamaly ny tsi-fanarahana rehetra izahay, rehefa tanteraka ny fanarahanareo.

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.

7 Mijery zavatra araka ny fisehony ihany va ianareo? Raha misy olona matoky ny tenany fa an’ i Kristy, aoka izay hisaintsaina izao indray, fa tahaka ny mah’ an’ i Kristy azy no mah’ an’ i Kristy anay koa.

[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.

8 Fa na dia bebe ihany aza ny fireharehako ny amin’ ny fahefanay izay nomen’ i Kristy anay hananganana, fa tsy handravana anareo, dia tsy hahazo henatra aho,

[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].

9 mba tsy hisehoako toy ny ta-hampitahotra anareo amin’ ny epistily.

I do not intend to make you afraid of me by the letters that I [write to you].

10 Fa ny epistiliny, hoy izy, dia mavesatra sy mahery; fa malemy kosa ny fanatrehan’ ny tenany, ary tsinontsinona ny teniny.

[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.”

11 Aoka izany olona izany hihevitra izao, fa tahaka ny fiteninay amin’ ny epistily, raha tsy eo izahay, dia ho tahaka izany koa ny asanay rehefa tonga izahay.

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].

12 Fa izahay tsy sahy hanao ny tenanay ho isan’ ny sasany izay midera tena, na hampitaha ny tenanay aminy; fa tsy hendry ireny, satria manohatra ny tenanay amin’ ny tenany sy mampitaha ny tenany amin’ ny tenanay.

[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.

13 Fa izahay tsy mba hirehareha tsy amin’ ohatra, fa araka ny ohatry ny voafaritr’ Andriamanitra ho anjaranay, dia ohatra mihatra aminareo.

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,

14 Fa tsy toy izay tsy mihatra aminareo izahay ka mihoatra ny faritry ny anjaranay; fa tonga hatrany aminareo aza izahay amin’ ny filazantsaran’ i Kristy;

[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]!

15 tsy mirehareha tsy amin’ ohatra amin’ izay nisasaran’ ny sasany izahay, fa manana fanantenana izahay fa rehefa mitombo ny finoanareo, dia hohalehibiazina ao aminareo izahay araka ny voafaritra ho anjarany, sady mbola handroso ihany

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.

16 ka hitory ny filazantsara amin’ ny tany any ankoatranareo, ary tsy hirehareha amin’ izay efa vonona rahateo ao anatin’ ny voafaritra ho an’ ny sasany.

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].

17 Fa izay mirehareha, dia aoka Jehovah no ho reharehany

[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].

18 Fa tsy izay midera tena no ankasitrahana, fa izay derain’ ny Tompo.

[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.