2 Corinthians 10

JMNT(i) 1 Now I myself, Paul, am making a personal appeal in continuing to call you to my side to encourage and entreat you folks through Christ's gentle friendliness (mildness; meekness) and lenient reasonableness (or: considerateness with full probability for being suitable for a situation) – I, who indeed [am] humble and lowly when face to face (= in person) among you, yet, being absent, am constantly showing courage and confidence unto you – 2 and am requesting, [that] when being present, not to have a situation where I need to be bold and courageous with the confidence in which I am reasonably considering (or: counting on) to be daring upon certain folks: those constantly considering and counting us as folks [who] are habitually walking around (= living our lives; ordering our behavior) in correspondence and accord to flesh (= governed by principles of the human condition; or: = on the level of estranged humanity; or: = in line with a self that is in bondage to the System). 3 For though habitually walking about and ordering our behavior within [the] flesh (= in a physical body; or: = in the human condition), we are not waging warfare (or: performing military service) in correspondence and accord to flesh (= on the level of estranged or enslaved humanity, or in line with human condition; or: = in the sphere of old covenant Jewish reasonings), 4 for you see, the tools and weapons of our military service and warfare [are] not fleshly (= do not pertain to our human condition; [“are not the weapons of the Domination System” – Walter Wink]), but rather, [are] powerful ones and capable ones in God (or: by God), [focused] toward [the] pulling down (demolition) of effects of fortifications (or: strongholds; strongly entrenched positions [of the “Domination System” – Walter Wink, Engaging the Powers]), 5 progressively tearing down and demolishing conceptions (concepts; the effects of thoughts, calculations, imaginations, reasonings and reflections) and every height (or: high position; high-effect) and lofty [attitude, purpose or obstacle] that is habitually lifting itself up against (or: elevating itself up on so as to put down) the intimate and experiential knowledge of God, and then taking captive every thought – one after another – and leading them prisoner into the hearing obedience of the Christ (or: the humble attentive listening, which comes from the Anointed One; or: the submissive paying attention, which is the Anointing), 6 even continuously holding [them] in a ready state and prepared condition to support fairness and equity, while maintaining rightwised relationships from out of the Way pointed out, for every mishearing (or: hearing-aside; setting of our attention to the side; or: disobedience) – whenever your hearing obedience may be made full (or: as soon as the humble attentive listening and submissive paying attention has been brought to full measure, from, and with regard to, you folks)! 7 You folks constantly look at things according to [their] face (external appearance; = face value; = surface meaning). If anyone has trusted so that he now continues persuaded with confidence for himself to exist belonging to Christ (or: in himself to be a possession of Christ, Christ being his source; or: in himself to be with the qualities of the Anointing), let him continue considering and reckoning this again upon himself: that just as he belongs to Christ and has the qualities of the Anointing, in this same way [do] we, also. 8 For besides, if I should boast somewhat more excessively concerning our right out of Being and authority – which the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh] gives us, [leading] unto your upbuilding (your construction into being a house), not unto tearing down or demolition – I shall not be put to shame or be disgraced, 9 so that I should not seem as ever to be terrifying you folks (or: as if to be constantly making you afraid) through the (or: [my]) letters. 10 "Because," one person is [other MSS: they are] constantly saying, "the letters [are] indeed weighty and strong (or: = severe and violent), but the presence of [his] body [is] weak, and the message has been collected from out of nothing (or: and [his] expression has been scorned)." 11 Let such a person take this into account, that the kind of person we are in word through letters, being absent, such also [are we], being present, in action. 12 Of course we are not daring to classify ourselves among, nor compare or explain ourselves with, some of those setting themselves together for commendation. But in fact they, themselves, are constantly measuring themselves among (or: within) themselves, and are repeatedly comparing themselves with themselves – they continue not comprehending or understanding! 13 Now we ourselves will not boast into what is not measured (or: about the things that cannot be measured), but rather, corresponding to the measure of the measuring rod (rule; standard; canon; = sphere of allocated influence) which God divided and gives as a part to (in; for) us – of a measure (or: = sphere of influence) to reach even as far as upon you folks. 14 Certainly we are not progressively overspreading (or: overstretching) ourselves – as if not being repeatedly reaching-on into you folks – for we advanced beforehand as far as even you people in the declaring of Christ's good news (or: the message of goodness, ease and wellness pertaining to and having its source in the Anointed One). 15 No, we are not men habitually boasting into what is not measured [off for us] – in labors (toils) belonging to other folks – but are continuously holding an expectation and having a hope of a progressively growing increase of your faith, trust and loyalty to be made great and enlarged within you (or: among and in union with you folks) – in line with and corresponding to our measured-out range and area (= sphere of allocated influence) – [leading] into abundance (being surrounded with excess), 16 [increasing] into the [regions] beyond those of your area, to yourselves (or: to ourselves) cause the good news to be proclaimed – not in the midst of a measured-out range and area (= sphere of allocated influence) belonging to another – [and] to boast into things [that have been] prepared and made ready, 17 so, “the one [among you] that is habitually boasting is to be habitually boasting in the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh].” [Jer. 9:24] 18 So you see, the person constantly placing himself with others – so as to be commended – is not that one who is qualified or approved, but rather, he whom the Lord [= Christ or Yahweh] consistently includes and commends.