Study Desk

Now I, Paul, myself urge you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!

Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

I ask that when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I intend to be courageous against some, who regard us as if we walked according to the flesh.

But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against some, which think of us as if we walked according to the flesh.

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

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

We are destroying arguments and all arrogance raised against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

You are looking at things as they are outwardly. If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ's, have him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ's, so too are we.

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

For if I boast somewhat more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,

For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

for I do not want to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.

That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible."

For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

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

Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

For we do not presume to rank or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they have no understanding.

For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

But we will not boast beyond our measure, but within the measure of the domain which God assigned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for we were the first to come even as far as you in the gospel of Christ;

For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:

not boasting beyond our measure, that is, in other people's labors, but with the hope that as your faith grows, we will be, within our domain, enlarged even more by you,

Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

so as to preach the gospel even to the regions beyond you, and not to boast in what has been accomplished in the domain of another.

To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

But THE ONE WHO BOASTS IS TO BOAST IN THE LORD.

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

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

For not he that commendeth himself is approved, but whom the Lord commendeth.