2 Kolinitō 10

1 Pea ko au Paula, ko au ʻoku matamatavaivai [ʻo kau ka ]ʻiate kimoutolu, ka ʻi heʻeku mamaʻo ʻoku ou loto mālohi kiate kimoutolu, ʻoku ou fakakolekole kiate kimoutolu ʻi he angavaivai mo e angamalū ʻa Kalaisi:

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 Ka ʻoku ou kole, koeʻuhi ke ʻoua naʻaku loto mālohi ʻi heʻeku ʻiate kimoutolu, ʻi he pule ko ia ʻoku ou ʻamanaki ke u fai mālohi ai ki he niʻihi, ʻoku nau lau kiate kimautolu ʻo hangē ʻoku mau ʻaʻeva ʻo fakatatau mo e kakano.

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 He neongo ʻoku mau ʻaʻeva ʻi he kakano, ka ʻoku ʻikai te mau tau fakakakano:

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

4 (He ko e mahafutau ʻo ʻemau tau ʻoku ʻikai fakakakano, ka ʻoku mālohi lahi ʻi he ʻOtua ke holoki hifo ai ʻae ngaahi kolo mālohi; )

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

5 ‌ʻO holoki ki lalo ʻae ngaahi fakakaukau, mo e meʻa māʻolunga kotoa pē, ʻoku ne fakahikihiki ia ki he ʻilo ʻoe ʻOtua, pea ʻoku ne fakavaivai ʻae mahalo kotoa pē ki he talangofua kia Kalaisi;

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 Pea ʻoku mau tali te u pe ke tautea ʻae talangataʻa kotoa pē, ʻoka kakato hoʻomou talangofua.

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

7 He ʻoku mou vakai ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻo hangē ko hono hā mai ʻituʻa? Kapau ʻoku ai ha tangata ʻoku ne faʻaki kiate ia ʻoku ʻa Kalaisi ia, ke toe fifili ki he meʻa ko ia ʻiate ia, koeʻuhi ʻo hangē ʻoku ʻa Kalaisi ia, ʻoku ʻa Kalaisi pehē pe ʻakimautolu.

You look at the outward appearance of things! Let any one, who is confident that he belongs to Christ, reflect, for himself, again upon the fact — that we belong to Christ no less than he does.

8 He ka ne lahi hake siʻi ʻeku polepole ʻi heʻemau mālohi, ʻaia kuo tuku mai ʻe he ʻEiki kiate kimautolu ke langa ʻaki hake, ka ʻoku ʻikai ko homou fakaʻauha, [pehē], ʻe ʻikai te u mā ai:

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 Ka ʻoku ʻikai te u fie hangē kau ka fakamanaʻi ʻakimoutolu ʻaki ʻae ngaahi tohi.

I say this, that it may not seem as if I were trying to overawe you by my letters.

10 He ʻoku nau pehē, “Ko [ʻene ]ngaahi tohi ʻoku mamafa mo mālohi; ka ʻoku ha vaivai mai [hono ]sino, pea ko [ʻene ]lea ʻoku kovi.”

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

11 Ke ʻilo ʻe he tokotaha ko ia, ko ia ʻoku hā ʻiate kimautolu ʻi he lea ʻi he ngaahi tohi ʻi heʻemau mamaʻo, ko kimautolu ai pe ia ʻi he ngāue ʻoka mau ka ʻi ai.

Let such a man 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 He ʻoku ʻikai te mau faʻa fakakau ʻakimautolu, pe fakatatau ʻakimautolu, ki he niʻihi ʻoku fakaongolelei atu ʻakinautolu: ka ko ʻenau fuofua ʻakinautolu ʻaki ʻakinautolu, ʻo fakatatau ʻakinautolu kiate kinautolu, ko e fai vale ia.

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 Ka ʻe ʻikai te mau polepole ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻituʻa atu ʻi [homau ]lakanga, kae fakatatau ki hono fuofua ʻoe lakanga ʻaia kuo fuofua ʻe he ʻOtua kiate kimautolu, ko e fuofua ʻoku aʻu atu foki kiate kimoutolu.

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 He ʻoku ʻikai te mau mafao atu ʻakimautolu, ʻo hangē naʻe ʻikai ke mau aʻu atu kiate kimoutolu: he kuo mau aʻu atu kiate kimoutolu foki ʻi he ongoongolelei ʻo Kalaisi:

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 ‌ʻOku ʻikai te mau faʻa polepole ki he ngaahi meʻa ʻituʻa ʻi [homau ]lakanga, ʻaia ko e ngaahi ngāue ʻae kau tangata kehe; ka ʻoku mau ʻamanaki lelei, ʻoka fakalahi hoʻomou tui, ke mau mafola atu ʻaupito ʻiate kimoutolu kae ʻi homau lakanga pe,

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 Ke mau malangaʻaki ʻae ongoongolelei ki he mamaʻo atu ʻiate kimoutolu, pea ʻikai ke polepole ʻi he lakanga ngāue ʻae tangata kehe kuo ʻosi teuteu.

So that we shall 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 “Ka ko ia ʻoku polepole, ke polepole ia ʻi he ʻEiki.”

‘Let him who boasts make his boast of the Lord.’

18 He ʻoku ʻikai ko ia ʻoku ne fakaongolelei ia ʻe fakamālō ki ai, ka ko ia ʻoku fakaongolelei ia ʻe he ʻEiki.

For it is not the man who commends himself that stands the test, but the man who is commended by the Lord.