2 Corinthians 10

NEW JERUSALEM	Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
1 I urge you by the gentleness and forbearance of Christ -- this is Paul now speaking personal y-I, theone who is so humble when he is facing you but ful of boldness at a distance.	1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ--I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold to you when I am away!--
2 Yes, my appeal to you is that I should not have to be bold when I am actual y with you, or show thesame self-assurance as I reckon to use when I am chal enging those who reckon that we are guided by humanmotives.	2 I beg of you that when I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of acting in worldly fashion.
3 For although we are human, it is not by human methods that we do battle.	3 For though we live in the world we are not carrying on a worldly war,
4 The weapons with which we do battle are not those of human nature, but they have the power, inGod's cause, to demolish fortresses. It is ideas that we demolish,	4 for the weapons of our warfare are not worldly but have divine power to destroy strongholds.
5 every presumptuous notion that is set up against the knowledge of God, and we bring every thoughtinto captivity and obedience to Christ;	5 We destroy arguments and every proud obstacle to the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
6 once you have given your complete obedience, we are prepared to punish any disobedience.	6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your obedience is complete.
7 Look at the evidence of your eyes. Anybody who is convinced that he belongs to Christ should go onto reflect that we belong to Christ no less than he does.	7 Look at what is before your eyes. If any one is confident that he is Christs, let him remind himself that as he is Christs, so are we.
8 Maybe I have taken rather too much pride in our authority, but the Lord gave us that for building youup, not for knocking you down, and I am not going to be shamed	8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I shall not be put to shame.
9 into letting you think that I can put fear into you only by letter.	9 I would not seem to be frightening you with letters.
10 Someone said, 'His letters are weighty enough, and ful of strength, but when you see him in person,he makes no impression and his powers of speaking are negligible.'	10 For they say, "His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account."
11 I should like that sort of person to take note that our deeds when we are present wil show the samequalities as our letters when we were at a distance.	11 Let such people understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present.
12 We are not venturing to rank ourselves, or even to compare ourselves with certain people whoprovide their own commendations. By measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves tothemselves, they only show their fol y.	12 Not that we venture to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another, and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
13 By contrast we do not intend to boast beyond measure, but wil measure ourselves by the standardwhich God laid down for us, namely that of having come al the way to you.	13 But we will not boast beyond limit, but will keep to the limits God has apportioned us, to reach even to you.
14 We are not overreaching ourselves as we would be if we had not come all the way to you; in fact wewere the first to come as far as you with the good news of Christ.	14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ.
15 So we are not boasting beyond measure, about other men's work; in fact, we hope, as your faithincreases, to grow greater and greater by this standard of ours,	15 We do not boast beyond limit, in other men's labors; but our hope is that as your faith increases, our field among you may be greatly enlarged,
16 by preaching the gospel to regions beyond you, rather than boasting about work already done insomeone else's province.	16 so that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another's field.
17 Let anyone who wants to boast, boast of the Lord.	17 "Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord."
18 For it is not through self-commendation that recognition is won, but through commendation.	18 For it is not the man who commends himself that is accepted, but the man whom the Lord commends.