2 Corinthians 10
1 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].
Ich aber, Paulus, ermahne euch durch die Sanftmütigkeit und Lindigkeit Christi, der ich gegenwärtig unter euch gering bin, im Abwesen aber bin ich türstig gegen euch.
2 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.
Ich bitte aber, daß mir nicht not sei, gegenwärtig türstig zu handeln und der Kühnheit zu brauchen, die man mir zumisset, gegen etliche, die uns schätzen, als wandelten wir fleischlicherweise.
3 [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.
Denn ob wir wohl im Fleisch wandeln, so streiten wir doch nicht fleischlicherweise.
4 [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].
Denn die Waffen unserer Ritterschaft sind nicht fleischlich, sondern mächtig vor Gott, zu zerstören die Befestungen,
5 [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].
damit wir zerstören die Anschläge und alle Höhe, die sich erhebet wider die Erkenntnis Gottes und nehmen gefangen alle Vernunft unter den Gehorsam Christi
6 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.
und sind bereit, zu rächen allen Ungehorsam, wenn euer Gehorsam erfüllet ist.
7 [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.
Richtet ihr nach dem Ansehen? Verläßt sich jemand darauf, daß er Christo angehöre, der denke solches, auch wieder um bei ihm, daß, gleichwie er Christo angehöret, also gehören wir auch Christo an.
8 [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].
Und so ich auch etwas weiter, mich rühmete von unserer Gewalt, welche uns der HERR gegeben hat, euch zu bessern und nicht zu verderben, wollte ich nicht zuschanden werden.
9 I do not intend to make you afraid of me by the letters that I [write to you].
(Das sage ich aber, ) daß ihr nicht euch dünken lasset, als hätte ich euch wollen schrecken mit Briefen.
10 [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.”
Denn die Briefe (sprechen, sie) sind schwer und stark; aber die Gegenwärtigkeit des Leibes ist schwach und die Rede verächtlich.
11 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].
Wer ein solcher ist, der denke, daß wie wir sind mit Worten in den Briefen im Abwesen, so dürfen wir auch wohl sein mit der Tat gegenwärtig.
12 [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.
Denn wir dürfen uns nicht unter die rechnen oder zählen, so sich selbst loben; aber dieweil sie sich bei sich selbst messen und halten allein von sich selbst, verstehen sie nichts.
13 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,
Wir aber rühmen uns nicht über das Ziel, sondern nur nach dem Ziel der Regel, damit uns Gott abgemessen hat das Ziel, zu gelangen auch bis an euch.
14 [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]!
Denn wir fahren nicht zu weit, als wären wir nicht gelanget bis zu euch; denn wir sind ja auch bis zu euch kommen mit dem Evangelium Christi.
15 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.
Und rühmen uns nicht über das Ziel in fremder Arbeit und haben Hoffnung, wenn nun euer Glaube in euch gewachsen, daß wir unserer Regel nach wollen weiter kommen
16 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].
und das Evangelium auch predigen denen, die jenseit euch wohnen, und uns nicht rühmen in dem, was mit fremder Regel bereitet ist.
17 [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].
Wer sich aber rühmet, der rühme sich des HERRN.
18 [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.
Denn darum ist einer nicht tüchtig, daß er sich selbst lobet, sondern daß ihn der HERR lobet.
