Ipse autem ego Paulus obsecro vos per mansuetudinem et modestiam Christi, qui in facie quidem humilis sum inter vos, absens autem confido in vos.

Now I Paul myself beseech you, by the mildness and modesty of Christ, who in presence indeed am lowly among you, but being absent, am bold toward you.

And now, here is Paul, the man who is so diffident when he meets you face to face, and deals so boldly with you at a distance, making an appeal to you by the gentleness and the courtesy of Christ.

Rogo autem vos ne præsens audeam per eam confidentiam, qua existimor audere in quosdam, qui arbitrantur nos tamquam secundum carnem ambulemus.

But I beseech you, that I may not be bold when I am present, with that confidence wherewith I am thought to be bold, against some, who reckon us as if we walked according to the flesh.

What I ask is, that you will not force me to deal boldly with you when we meet. I have my own grounds for confidence, and with these I may well be counted a match for those who think we rely on merely human powers.

In carne enim ambulantes, non secundum carnem militamus.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

Human indeed we are, but it is in no human strength that we fight our battles.

Nam arma militiæ nostræ non carnalia sunt, sed potentia Deo ad destructionem munitionum, consilia destruentes,

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty to God unto the pulling down of fortifications, destroying counsels,

The weapons we fight with are not human weapons; they are divinely powerful, ready to pull down strongholds. Yes, we can pull down the conceits of men,

et omnem altitudinem extollentem se adversus scientiam Dei, et in captivitatem redigentes omnem intellectum in obsequium Christi,

And every height that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every understanding unto the obedience of Christ;

every barrier of pride which sets itself up against the true knowledge of God; we make every mind surrender to Christ’s service,

et in promptu habentes ulcisci omnem inobedientiam, cum impleta fuerit vestra obedientia.

And having in readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience shall be fulfilled.

and are prepared to punish rebellion from any quarter, once your own submission is complete.

Quæ secundum faciem sunt, videte. Si quis confidit sibi Christi se esse, hoc cogitet iterum apud se: quia sicut ipse Christi est, ita et nos.

See the things that are according to outward appearance. If any man trust to himself, that he is Christ’s, let him think this again with himself, that as he is Christ’s, so are we also.

Wait and see what happens when we meet. There may be someone who takes credit to himself for being the champion of Christ; if so, let him reflect further that we belong to Christ’s cause no less than himself;

Nam etsi amplius aliquid gloriatus fuero de potestate nostra, quam dedit nobis Dominus in ædificationem, et non in destructionem vestram, non erubescam.

For if also I should boast somewhat more of our power, which the Lord hath given us unto edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed.

and indeed, I might boast of the powers I have, powers which the Lord has given me so as to build up your faith, not so as to crush your spirits, and I should not be put in the wrong.

Ut autem non existimer tamquam terrere vos per epistolas:

But that I may not be thought as it were to terrify you by epistles,

It must not be thought that I try to overawe you when I write.

quoniam quidem epistolæ, inquiunt, graves sunt et fortes: præsentia autem corporis infirma, et sermo contemptibilis:

(For his epistles indeed, say they, are weighty and strong; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible,)

His letters, some people say, are powerful and carry weight, but his presence in person lacks dignity, he is but a poor orator.

hoc cogitet qui ejusmodi est, quia quales sumus verbo per epistolas absentes, tales et præsentes in facto.

Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by epistles, when absent, such also we will be indeed when present.

I warn those who speak thus that, when we visit you, our actions will not belie the impression which our letters make when we are at a distance.

Non enim audemus inserere, aut comparare nos quibusdam, qui seipsos commendant: sed ipsi in nobis nosmetipsos metientes, et comparantes nosmetipsos nobis.

For we dare not match, or compare ourselves with some, that commend themselves; but we measure ourselves by ourselves, and compare ourselves with ourselves.

It is not for us to intrude, or challenge comparison with others who claim credit for themselves; we are content to go by our own measure, to compare ourselves with our own standard of achievement.

Nos autem non in immensum gloriabimur, sed secundum mensuram regulæ, qua mensus est nobis Deus, mensuram pertingendi usque ad vos.

But we will not glory beyond our measure; but according to the measure of the rule, which God hath measured to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

Yes, we may boast, but our boasting will not be disproportionate; it will be in proportion to the province which God has assigned to us, one which reaches as far as you.

Non enim quasi non pertingentes ad vos, superextendimus nos: usque ad vos enim pervenimus in Evangelio Christi.

For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as if we reached not unto you. For we are come as far as to you in the Gospel of Christ.

Nobody can say that we are encroaching, that you lie beyond our orbit; our journeys in preaching Christ’s gospel took us all the way to you.

Non in immensum gloriantes in alienis laboribus: spem autem habentes crescentis fidei vestræ, in vobis magnificari secundum regulam nostram in abundantiam,

Not glorying beyond measure in other men’s labours; but having hope of your increasing faith, to be magnified in you according to our rule abundantly;

Ours, then, is no disproportionate boasting, founded on other men’s labours; on the contrary, as your faith bears increase, we hope to attain still further vantage-points through you, without going beyond our province,

etiam in illa, quæ ultra vos sunt, evangelizare, non in aliena regula in iis quæ præparata sunt gloriari.

Yea, unto those places that are beyond you, to preach the gospel, not to glory in another man’s rule, in those things that are made ready to our hand.

and preach the gospel further afield, without boasting of ready-made conquests in a province that belongs to another.

Qui autem gloriatur, in Domino glorietur.

But he that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.

He who boasts, should make his boast in the Lord;

Non enim qui seipsum commendat, ille probatus est: sed quem Deus commendat.

For not he who commendeth himself, is approved, but he, whom God commendeth.

it is the man whom God accredits, not the man who takes credit to himself, that proves himself to be true metal.