2 Corinthians 10

1 Now I, Paul, beseech you, by the mildness and gentleness of the Messiah, although I am mild towards you when present, but bold towards you when absent!

Now I Paul, myself, entreat you by the humility and gentleness of Christ; I who in your presence am lowly among you, but being absent am of good courage toward you.

2 yet I beseech of you that, when I come, I may not be compelled by the boldness that is in me to be daring, as I estimate it, towards the persons who think we walk according to the flesh.

But I implore you that when I am present I may not have to be bold with the confidence with which I intend on showing against some, who consider us to be walking according to the flesh.

3 For, although we walk in the flesh, our warfare is not after the flesh.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh;

4 For the arms of our warfare are not those of the flesh, but those of the power of God; by which we subdue rebellious castles.

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty in God for the tearing down of strongholds,

5 And we demolish imaginations, and every lofty thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and subjugate all reasonings to obedience to the Messiah.

throwing down imaginations and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ;

6 And we are prepared, when your obedience shall be complete, to execute judgment on all the disobeying.

and being in readiness to avenge all disobedience, when your obedience will be made full.

7 Do ye look on outward appearances? If any one is confident in himself that he is of the Messiah, let him know, from himself, that as he is of the Messiah, so also are we.

Do you look at things only as they appear in front of your face? If anyone trusts in himself that he is Christ's, let him consider this again with himself, that, even as he is Christ's, so also we are Christ's.

8 For if I should glory somewhat more, in the authority which our Lord hath given me, I should not be ashamed; for he gave it to us for your edification, and not for your destruction.

For though I should boast somewhat abundantly concerning our authority, (which the Lord gave for building you up, and not for casting you down) I will not be disappointed,

9 But I forbear, lest I should be thought to terrify you terribly, by my epistles.

that I may not seem as if I desire to terrify you by my letters.

10 For there are some who say, His epistles are weighty and forcible, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

For, "His letters," they say, "are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech is despised."

11 But let him who saith so, consider this, that such as we are in our epistolary discourse, when absent, such also are we in action, when present.

Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such are we also in deed when we are present.

12 For we dare not value, or compare ourselves, with those who vaunt: but they, because they compare themselves with themselves, are not wise.

For we are not bold to number or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But they themselves, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are without understanding.

13 But we will not glory beyond our measure, but within the measure of the limits which God hath imparted to us, that we should reach as far as you.

But we will not boast beyond proper limits, but within the boundaries with which God appointed to us, which reach even to you.

14 For we do not stretch ourselves, as if not reaching to you; for we do reach as far as you in the annunciation of the Messiah.

For we do not stretch ourselves too much, as though we did not reach to you. For we came even as far as to you with the Good News of Christ,

15 And we do not glory beyond our measure, in the toil of others: but we have the hope, that when your faith shall mature, we shall be magnified by you, as being within our measure;

not boasting excessively in the work done by others, but having hope that as your faith grows, we will be abundantly enlarged by you in our sphere of influence,

16 and that we shall so abound also, as to make announcements beyond you. It is not in the measure of others, and in things ready prepared, that we will glory.

so as to preach the Good News even to the regions beyond you, not to boast in what someone else has already done.

17 But let him that will glory, glory in the Lord.

But "he who boasts, let him boast in the Lord."

18 For not he who praiseth himself, is approved; but he whom the Lord praiseth.

For it is not he who commends himself who is approved, but whom the Lord commends.