¹ Now I, Paul, myself, encourage you° through the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who according-to face {i.e., face to face} am indeed humble among you°, but being absent am courageous toward you°.

² But I am beseeching you° (not while I am present$) to be courageous with the confidence in which I am reasoning to dare against some who reason us as walking according-to the flesh.

³ For$ although we are walking in the flesh, we are not warring according-to the flesh.

⁴ For$ the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are mighty in God, toward the demolition of strongholds,

⁵ demolishing evil reasonings and every exalted thing which is lifting itself up against the knowledge of God and capturing every device of the Adversary to the obedience of the Christ;

⁶ and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience$, whenever your° obedience might be fulfilled.

⁷ Are you° looking at things according-to their countenance? If anyone has confidence in himself to be Christ’s, let him count this again from within himself, that, just-as he himself is Christ’s, so are we also Christ’s.

⁸ For$ even if I should boast even-more of something concerning our authority (which the Lord gave to us $for your° building up and not $for your° demolition), I will not be shamed;

⁹ in-order-that I may not seem as if I wished to make you° fearful through the letters from me.

¹⁰ Because indeed he says, The letters are weighty and strong, but the body’s presence is weak and the speech has been nothing special.

¹¹ Let such a one count this, that, such-as we are in word through letters, being absent, such will we also be in work, while being present$.

¹² For$ we are not daring to class or to compare ourselves together-with some of the ones who are commending themselves, but they themselves are measuring themselves together in themselves and comparing together themselves to themselves. They do not understand!

¹³ Now we will not be boasting in the immeasurable things, but according-to the measure of the standard$ of which the God divided to us a measure which is able to reach up-to even you°.

¹⁴ For$ we do not overstretch ourselves, as though we are not reaching toward you°; for$ till we have attained even up to you° in the good-news of the Christ.

¹⁵ We were not boasting in the immeasurable things (that is, in another’s labors) but have hope that when your° faith is grown to be magnified in you° according-to our standard$ into your° abundance,

¹⁶ reaching out to proclaim the good-news into areas past you° and not to boast in the things prepared in another’s standard$.

¹⁷ But the one boasting, let him boast in the Lord.

¹⁸ For$ he who commends himself, that man is not approved after being tested, but whom the Lord is commending.