Read the Bible

¹ Now I, Paul, beseech you, by the mildness and gentleness of the Messiah, although I am mild towards you when present, but bold towards you when absent !² yet I beseech of you that, when I come, I may not be compelled by the boldness that is in me to be daring, as I estimate it, towards the persons who think we walk according to the flesh.³ For, although we walk in the flesh, our warfare is not after the flesh.⁴ For the arms of our warfare are not those of the flesh, but those of the power of God; by which we subdue rebellious castles.⁵ And we demolish imaginations, and every lofty thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and subjugate all reasonings to obedience to the Messiah.⁶ And we are prepared, when your obedience shall be complete, to execute judgment on all the disobeying.

⁷ Do ye look on outward appearances? If any one is confident in himself that he is of the Messiah, let him know, from himself, that as he is of the Messiah, so also are we.⁸ For if I should glory somewhat more, in the authority which our Lord hath given me, I should not be ashamed; for he gave it to us for your edification, and not for your destruction.⁹ But I forbear, lest I should be thought to terrify you terribly, by my epistles.¹⁰ 10 For there are some who say, [fn] epistles are weighty and forcible, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible. ¹¹ But let him who saith so, consider this, that such as we are in our epistolary discourse, when absent, such also are we in action, when present.

¹² For we dare not value, or compare ourselves, with those who vaunt: but they, because they compare themselves with themselves, are not wise.¹³ But we will not glory beyond our measure, but within the measure of the limits which God hath imparted to us, that we should reach as far as you.¹⁴ For we do not stretch ourselves, as if not reaching to you; for we do reach as far as you in the annunciation of the Messiah.¹⁵ 15 And we do not glory beyond our measure, in the toil of others: but we have the hope, that when your faith shall mature, we shall be magnified by you, as [fn] our measure; ¹⁶ 16 and that we shall so abound also, as to make announcements beyond you. It is not in the measure of others, [fn] in things ready prepared, that we will glory. ¹⁷ But let him that will glory, glory in the Lord.¹⁸ For not he who praiseth himself, is approved; but he whom the Lord praiseth.