2 Corinthians 10

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Paul’s Apostolic Authority

¹Αὐτὸς δὲ ἐγὼ Παῦλος παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς διὰ τῆς πραΰτητος καὶ ἐπιεικείας τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὃς κατὰ πρόσωπον μὲν ταπεινὸς ἐν ὑμῖν ἀπὼν δὲ θαρρῶ εἰς ὑμᾶς

¹Now by the mildness and gentleness of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul, who am humble when face to face with you, but bold when away.

²δέομαι δὲ τὸ μὴ παρὼν θαρρῆσαι τῇ πεποιθήσει ᾗ λογίζομαι τολμῆσαι ἐπί τινας τοὺς λογιζομένους ἡμᾶς ὡς κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦντας

²I beg you that when I come I may not need to be as bold as I expect toward those who presume that we live according to the flesh.

³Ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα

³For though we live in the flesh, we do not wage war according to the flesh.

⁴τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικὰ ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων

⁴The weapons of our warfare are not the weapons of the flesh. Instead, they have divine power to demolish strongholds.

⁵λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζοντες πᾶν νόημα εἰς τὴν ὑπακοὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ

⁵We demolish arguments and every presumption set up against the knowledge of God; and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

⁶καὶ ἐν ἑτοίμῳ ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν ὅταν πληρωθῇ ὑμῶν ἡ ὑπακοή

⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, as soon as your obedience is complete.

⁷Τὰ κατὰ πρόσωπον βλέπετε εἴ τις πέποιθεν ἑαυτῷ Χριστοῦ εἶναι τοῦτο λογιζέσθω πάλιν ἐφ’ ἑαυτοῦ ὅτι καθὼς αὐτὸς Χριστοῦ οὕτως καὶ ἡμεῖς

⁷You are looking at outward appearances. If anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, he should remind himself that we belong to Christ just as much as he does.

⁸ἐάν τε γὰρ περισσότερόν τι καυχήσωμαι περὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἡμῶν ἧς ἔδωκεν ὁ Κύριος εἰς οἰκοδομὴν καὶ οὐκ εἰς καθαίρεσιν ὑμῶν οὐκ αἰσχυνθήσομαι

⁸For even if I boast somewhat excessively about the authority the Lord gave us for building you up rather than tearing you down, I will not be ashamed.

⁹ἵνα μὴ δόξω ὡς ἂν ἐκφοβεῖν ὑμᾶς διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν

⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you by my letters.

¹⁰Ὅτι Αἱ ἐπιστολαὶ μέν φησίν Βαρεῖαι καὶ ἰσχυραί ἡ δὲ παρουσία τοῦ σώματος ἀσθενὴς καὶ ὁ λόγος ἐξουθενημένος

¹⁰For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but his physical presence is unimpressive, and his speaking is of no account.”

¹¹τοῦτο λογιζέσθω ὁ τοιοῦτος ὅτι οἷοί ἐσμεν τῷ λόγῳ δι’ ἐπιστολῶν ἀπόντες τοιοῦτοι καὶ παρόντες τῷ ἔργῳ

¹¹Such people should consider that what we are in our letters when absent, we will be in our actions when present.

¹²Οὐ γὰρ τολμῶμεν ἐνκρῖναι ἢ συνκρῖναι ἑαυτούς τισιν τῶν ἑαυτοὺς συνιστανόντων ἀλλὰ αὐτοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἑαυτοὺς μετροῦντες καὶ συνκρίνοντες ἑαυτοὺς ἑαυτοῖς οὐ συνιᾶσιν

¹²We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves. When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they show their ignorance.

¹³ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα καυχησόμεθα ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τοῦ κανόνος οὗ ἐμέρισεν ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς μέτρου ἐφικέσθαι ἄχρι καὶ ὑμῶν

¹³We, however, will not boast beyond our limits, but only within the field of influence that God has assigned to us—a field that reaches even to you.

¹⁴οὐ γὰρ ὡς μὴ ἐφικνούμενοι εἰς ὑμᾶς ὑπερεκτείνομεν ἑαυτούς ἄχρι γὰρ καὶ ὑμῶν ἐφθάσαμεν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ τοῦ Χριστοῦ

¹⁴We are not overstepping our bounds, as if we had not come to you. Indeed, we were the first to reach you with the gospel of Christ.

¹⁵οὐκ εἰς τὰ ἄμετρα καυχώμενοι ἐν ἀλλοτρίοις κόποις ἐλπίδα δὲ ἔχοντες αὐξανομένης τῆς πίστεως ὑμῶν ἐν ὑμῖν μεγαλυνθῆναι κατὰ τὸν κανόνα ἡμῶν εἰς περισσείαν

¹⁵Neither do we boast beyond our limits in the labors of others. But we hope that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you will greatly increase as well,

¹⁶εἰς τὰ ὑπερέκεινα ὑμῶν εὐαγγελίσασθαι οὐκ ἐν ἀλλοτρίῳ κανόνι εἰς τὰ ἕτοιμα καυχήσασθαι

¹⁶so that we can preach the gospel in the regions beyond you. Then we will not be boasting in the work already done in another man’s territory.

¹⁷Ὁ δὲ καυχώμενος ἐν Κυρίῳ καυχάσθω

¹⁷Rather, “Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.”^a

¹⁸οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἑαυτὸν συνιστάνων ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν δόκιμος ἀλλὰ ὃν ὁ Κύριος συνίστησιν

¹⁸For it is not the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.