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¹ But I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ, who, as to appearance, [when present] [am] mean among you, but absent am bold towards you;

² but I beseech that present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I think to be daring towards some who think of us as walking according to flesh.

³ For walking in flesh, we do not war according to flesh.

⁴ For the arms of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful according to God to [the] overthrow of strongholds;

⁵ overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ;

⁶ and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience shall have been fulfilled.

⁷ Do ye look at what concerns appearance? If any one has confidence in himself that he is of Christ, let him think this again in himself, that even as he [is] of Christ, so also [are] we.

⁸ For and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given [to us] for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame;

⁹ that I may not seem as if I was frightening you by letters:

¹⁰ because his letters, he says, [are] weighty and strong, but his presence in the body weak, and his speech naught.

¹¹ Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by letters [when] absent, such also present in deed.

¹² For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not intelligent.

¹³ Now *we* will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also.

¹⁴ For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, (for we have come to you also in the glad tidings of the Christ;)

¹⁵ not boasting out of measure in other people's labours, but having hope, your faith increasing, to be enlarged amongst you, according to our rule, yet more abundantly

¹⁶ to announce the glad tidings to that [which is] beyond you, not to be boasting in another's rule of things made ready to hand.

¹⁷ But he that boasts, let him boast in the Lord.

¹⁸ For not *he* that commends himself is approved, but whom the Lord commends.