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¹ And I, Paul, myself, call on you—through the meekness and gentleness of the Christ—who in presence [am] indeed humble among you, and being absent, have courage toward you,² and I implore [you], that, being present, I may not have courage, with the confidence with which I reckon to be bold against certain reckoning us as walking according to the flesh;³ for walking in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh,⁴ for the weapons of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful to God for bringing down of strongholds,⁵ bringing down reasonings, and every high thing lifted up against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of the Christ,⁶ and being in readiness to avenge every disobedience whenever your obedience may be fulfilled.

⁷ You see the outward appearance. If anyone has trusted in himself to be Christ's, let him reckon this again from himself, that according as he is Christ's, so also we [are] Christ's;⁸ for even if I will also boast anything more abundantly concerning our authority, that the LORD gave us for building up, and not for casting you down, I will not be ashamed,⁹ that I may not seem as if I would terrify you through the letters,¹⁰ "because the letters indeed," says one, "[are] weighty and strong, and the bodily presence weak, and the speech despicable."¹¹ This one—let him reckon thus: that such as we are in word, through letters, being absent, such also, being present, [we are] in deed.

¹² For we do not make bold to rank or to compare ourselves with certain of those commending themselves, but they, measuring themselves among themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not wise,¹³ and we will not boast ourselves in regard to the unmeasured things, but after the measure of the line that the God of measure appointed to us—to reach even to you;¹⁴ for we do not stretch ourselves too much, as not reaching to you, for even to you we came in the good news of the Christ,¹⁵ not boasting of the things not measured, in other men's labors, and having hope—your faith increasing—in you to be enlarged, according to our line—into abundance,¹⁶ to proclaim good news in the [places] beyond you, not in another's line in regard to the things made ready, to boast;¹⁷ and he who is boasting—let him boast in the LORD;¹⁸ for he who is commending himself is not approved, but he whom the LORD commends.