Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

10 By the humility and gentleness(A) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,(B) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold(C) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.(D) For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.(E) The weapons we fight with(F) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power(G) to demolish strongholds.(H) We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,(I) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient(J) to Christ. And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.(K)

You are judging by appearances.[a](L) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,(M) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.(N) So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us(O) for building you up rather than tearing you down,(P) I will not be ashamed of it. I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive(Q) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”(R) 11 Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

12 We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.(S) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13 We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,(T) a sphere that also includes you. 14 We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you(U) with the gospel of Christ.(V) 15 Neither do we go beyond our limits(W) by boasting of work done by others.(X) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,(Y) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16 so that we can preach the gospel(Z) in the regions beyond you.(AA) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17 But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[b](AB) 18 For it is not the one who commends himself(AC) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.(AD)

Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 10:7 Or Look at the obvious facts
  2. 2 Corinthians 10:17 Jer. 9:24

10 Now I Paul myself beseech you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ, who in presence am base among you, but being absent am bold toward you:

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

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh:

(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;)

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled.

Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? if any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's.

For though I should boast somewhat more of our authority, which the Lord hath given us for edification, and not for your destruction, I should not be ashamed:

That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters.

10 For his letters, say they, are weighty and powerful; but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech contemptible.

11 Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

12 For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.

13 But we will not boast of things without our measure, but according to the measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you.

14 For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for we are come as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ:

15 Not boasting of things without our measure, that is, of other men's labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly,

16 To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man's line of things made ready to our hand.

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

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

Psalm 108[a](A)(B)

A song. A psalm of David.

My heart, O God, is steadfast;(C)
    I will sing(D) and make music with all my soul.
Awake, harp and lyre!(E)
    I will awaken the dawn.
I will praise you, Lord, among the nations;
    I will sing of you among the peoples.
For great is your love,(F) higher than the heavens;
    your faithfulness(G) reaches to the skies.(H)
Be exalted, O God, above the heavens;(I)
    let your glory be over all the earth.(J)

Save us and help us with your right hand,(K)
    that those you love may be delivered.
God has spoken(L) from his sanctuary:(M)
    “In triumph I will parcel out Shechem(N)
    and measure off the Valley of Sukkoth.(O)
Gilead is mine, Manasseh is mine;
    Ephraim is my helmet,
    Judah(P) is my scepter.
Moab(Q) is my washbasin,
    on Edom(R) I toss my sandal;
    over Philistia(S) I shout in triumph.”

10 Who will bring me to the fortified city?
    Who will lead me to Edom?
11 Is it not you, God, you who have rejected us
    and no longer go out with our armies?(T)
12 Give us aid against the enemy,
    for human help is worthless.(U)
13 With God we will gain the victory,
    and he will trample down(V) our enemies.

Psalm 109

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.

My God, whom I praise,(W)
    do not remain silent,(X)
for people who are wicked and deceitful(Y)
    have opened their mouths against me;
    they have spoken against me with lying tongues.(Z)
With words of hatred(AA) they surround me;
    they attack me without cause.(AB)
In return for my friendship they accuse me,
    but I am a man of prayer.(AC)
They repay me evil for good,(AD)
    and hatred for my friendship.

Appoint someone evil to oppose my enemy;
    let an accuser(AE) stand at his right hand.
When he is tried, let him be found guilty,(AF)
    and may his prayers condemn(AG) him.
May his days be few;(AH)
    may another take his place(AI) of leadership.
May his children be fatherless
    and his wife a widow.(AJ)
10 May his children be wandering beggars;(AK)
    may they be driven[b] from their ruined homes.
11 May a creditor(AL) seize all he has;
    may strangers plunder(AM) the fruits of his labor.(AN)
12 May no one extend kindness to him
    or take pity(AO) on his fatherless children.
13 May his descendants be cut off,(AP)
    their names blotted out(AQ) from the next generation.
14 May the iniquity of his fathers(AR) be remembered before the Lord;
    may the sin of his mother never be blotted out.
15 May their sins always remain before(AS) the Lord,
    that he may blot out their name(AT) from the earth.

16 For he never thought of doing a kindness,
    but hounded to death the poor
    and the needy(AU) and the brokenhearted.(AV)
17 He loved to pronounce a curse—
    may it come back on him.(AW)
He found no pleasure in blessing—
    may it be far from him.
18 He wore cursing(AX) as his garment;
    it entered into his body like water,(AY)
    into his bones like oil.
19 May it be like a cloak wrapped(AZ) about him,
    like a belt tied forever around him.
20 May this be the Lord’s payment(BA) to my accusers,
    to those who speak evil(BB) of me.

21 But you, Sovereign Lord,
    help me for your name’s sake;(BC)
    out of the goodness of your love,(BD) deliver me.(BE)
22 For I am poor and needy,
    and my heart is wounded within me.
23 I fade away like an evening shadow;(BF)
    I am shaken off like a locust.
24 My knees give(BG) way from fasting;(BH)
    my body is thin and gaunt.(BI)
25 I am an object of scorn(BJ) to my accusers;
    when they see me, they shake their heads.(BK)

26 Help me,(BL) Lord my God;
    save me according to your unfailing love.
27 Let them know(BM) that it is your hand,
    that you, Lord, have done it.
28 While they curse,(BN) may you bless;
    may those who attack me be put to shame,
    but may your servant rejoice.(BO)
29 May my accusers be clothed with disgrace
    and wrapped in shame(BP) as in a cloak.

30 With my mouth I will greatly extol the Lord;
    in the great throng(BQ) of worshipers I will praise him.
31 For he stands at the right hand(BR) of the needy,
    to save their lives from those who would condemn them.

Psalm 110

Of David. A psalm.

The Lord says(BS) to my lord:[c]

“Sit at my right hand(BT)
    until I make your enemies
    a footstool for your feet.”(BU)

The Lord will extend your mighty scepter(BV) from Zion,(BW) saying,
    “Rule(BX) in the midst of your enemies!”
Your troops will be willing
    on your day of battle.
Arrayed in holy splendor,(BY)
    your young men will come to you
    like dew from the morning’s womb.[d](BZ)

The Lord has sworn
    and will not change his mind:(CA)
“You are a priest forever,(CB)
    in the order of Melchizedek.(CC)

The Lord is at your right hand[e];(CD)
    he will crush kings(CE) on the day of his wrath.(CF)
He will judge the nations,(CG) heaping up the dead(CH)
    and crushing the rulers(CI) of the whole earth.
He will drink from a brook along the way,[f]
    and so he will lift his head high.(CJ)

Psalm 111[g]

Praise the Lord.[h]

I will extol the Lord(CK) with all my heart(CL)
    in the council(CM) of the upright and in the assembly.(CN)

Great are the works(CO) of the Lord;
    they are pondered by all(CP) who delight in them.
Glorious and majestic are his deeds,
    and his righteousness endures(CQ) forever.
He has caused his wonders to be remembered;
    the Lord is gracious and compassionate.(CR)
He provides food(CS) for those who fear him;(CT)
    he remembers his covenant(CU) forever.

He has shown his people the power of his works,(CV)
    giving them the lands of other nations.(CW)
The works of his hands(CX) are faithful and just;
    all his precepts are trustworthy.(CY)
They are established for ever(CZ) and ever,
    enacted in faithfulness and uprightness.
He provided redemption(DA) for his people;
    he ordained his covenant forever—
    holy and awesome(DB) is his name.

10 The fear of the Lord(DC) is the beginning of wisdom;(DD)
    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.(DE)
    To him belongs eternal praise.(DF)

Psalm 112[i]

Praise the Lord.[j](DG)

Blessed are those(DH) who fear the Lord,(DI)
    who find great delight(DJ) in his commands.

Their children(DK) will be mighty in the land;
    the generation of the upright will be blessed.
Wealth and riches(DL) are in their houses,
    and their righteousness endures(DM) forever.
Even in darkness light dawns(DN) for the upright,
    for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.(DO)
Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely,(DP)
    who conduct their affairs with justice.

Surely the righteous will never be shaken;(DQ)
    they will be remembered(DR) forever.
They will have no fear of bad news;
    their hearts are steadfast,(DS) trusting in the Lord.(DT)
Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear;(DU)
    in the end they will look in triumph on their foes.(DV)
They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor,(DW)
    their righteousness endures(DX) forever;
    their horn[k] will be lifted(DY) high in honor.

10 The wicked will see(DZ) and be vexed,
    they will gnash their teeth(EA) and waste away;(EB)
    the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.(EC)

Psalm 113

Praise the Lord.[l](ED)

Praise the Lord, you his servants;(EE)
    praise the name of the Lord.
Let the name of the Lord be praised,(EF)
    both now and forevermore.(EG)
From the rising of the sun(EH) to the place where it sets,
    the name of the Lord is to be praised.

The Lord is exalted(EI) over all the nations,
    his glory above the heavens.(EJ)
Who is like the Lord our God,(EK)
    the One who sits enthroned(EL) on high,(EM)
who stoops down to look(EN)
    on the heavens and the earth?

He raises the poor(EO) from the dust
    and lifts the needy(EP) from the ash heap;
he seats them(EQ) with princes,
    with the princes of his people.
He settles the childless(ER) woman in her home
    as a happy mother of children.

Praise the Lord.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 108:1 In Hebrew texts 108:1-13 is numbered 108:2-14.
  2. Psalm 109:10 Septuagint; Hebrew sought
  3. Psalm 110:1 Or Lord
  4. Psalm 110:3 The meaning of the Hebrew for this sentence is uncertain.
  5. Psalm 110:5 Or My lord is at your right hand, Lord
  6. Psalm 110:7 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
  7. Psalm 111:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  8. Psalm 111:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  9. Psalm 112:1 This psalm is an acrostic poem, the lines of which begin with the successive letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
  10. Psalm 112:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah
  11. Psalm 112:9 Horn here symbolizes dignity.
  12. Psalm 113:1 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; also in verse 9

108 O God, my heart is fixed; I will sing and give praise, even with my glory.

Awake, psaltery and harp: I myself will awake early.

I will praise thee, O Lord, among the people: and I will sing praises unto thee among the nations.

For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reacheth unto the clouds.

Be thou exalted, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth;

That thy beloved may be delivered: save with thy right hand, and answer me.

God hath spoken in his holiness; I will rejoice, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

Gilead is mine; Manasseh is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head; Judah is my lawgiver;

Moab is my washpot; over Edom will I cast out my shoe; over Philistia will I triumph.

10 Who will bring me into the strong city? who will lead me into Edom?

11 Wilt not thou, O God, who hast cast us off? and wilt not thou, O God, go forth with our hosts?

12 Give us help from trouble: for vain is the help of man.

13 Through God we shall do valiantly: for he it is that shall tread down our enemies.

109 Hold not thy peace, O God of my praise;

For the mouth of the wicked and the mouth of the deceitful are opened against me: they have spoken against me with a lying tongue.

They compassed me about also with words of hatred; and fought against me without a cause.

For my love they are my adversaries: but I give myself unto prayer.

And they have rewarded me evil for good, and hatred for my love.

Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan stand at his right hand.

When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin.

Let his days be few; and let another take his office.

Let his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow.

10 Let his children be continually vagabonds, and beg: let them seek their bread also out of their desolate places.

11 Let the extortioner catch all that he hath; and let the strangers spoil his labour.

12 Let there be none to extend mercy unto him: neither let there be any to favour his fatherless children.

13 Let his posterity be cut off; and in the generation following let their name be blotted out.

14 Let the iniquity of his fathers be remembered with the Lord; and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out.

15 Let them be before the Lord continually, that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth.

16 Because that he remembered not to shew mercy, but persecuted the poor and needy man, that he might even slay the broken in heart.

17 As he loved cursing, so let it come unto him: as he delighted not in blessing, so let it be far from him.

18 As he clothed himself with cursing like as with his garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oil into his bones.

19 Let it be unto him as the garment which covereth him, and for a girdle wherewith he is girded continually.

20 Let this be the reward of mine adversaries from the Lord, and of them that speak evil against my soul.

21 But do thou for me, O God the Lord, for thy name's sake: because thy mercy is good, deliver thou me.

22 For I am poor and needy, and my heart is wounded within me.

23 I am gone like the shadow when it declineth: I am tossed up and down as the locust.

24 My knees are weak through fasting; and my flesh faileth of fatness.

25 I became also a reproach unto them: when they looked upon me they shaked their heads.

26 Help me, O Lord my God: O save me according to thy mercy:

27 That they may know that this is thy hand; that thou, Lord, hast done it.

28 Let them curse, but bless thou: when they arise, let them be ashamed; but let thy servant rejoice.

29 Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

30 I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude.

31 For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his soul.

110 The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.

Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth.

The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.

The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath.

He shall judge among the heathen, he shall fill the places with the dead bodies; he shall wound the heads over many countries.

He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.

111 Praise ye the Lord. I will praise the Lord with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.

The works of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.

His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion.

He hath given meat unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant.

He hath shewed his people the power of his works, that he may give them the heritage of the heathen.

The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure.

They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.

He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: holy and reverend is his name.

10 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.

112 Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments.

His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.

Wealth and riches shall be in his house: and his righteousness endureth for ever.

Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.

A good man sheweth favour, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.

He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

His heart is established, he shall not be afraid, until he see his desire upon his enemies.

He hath dispersed, he hath given to the poor; his righteousness endureth for ever; his horn shall be exalted with honour.

10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.

113 Praise ye the Lord. Praise, O ye servants of the Lord, praise the name of the Lord.

Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and for evermore.

From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord's name is to be praised.

The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens.

Who is like unto the Lord our God, who dwelleth on high,

Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!

He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the dunghill;

That he may set him with princes, even with the princes of his people.

He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord.