Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith. Examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize regarding yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless you are unqualified? And I hope that you will recognize that we are not unqualified! Now we pray to God that you not do wrong in any way, not that we are seen as approved, but that you do what is good, even though we are seen as though unqualified. For we are not able to do anything against the truth, but rather only for the truth. For we rejoice whenever we are weak, but you are strong, and we pray for this: your maturity. 10 Because of this, I am writing these things although I[a] am absent, in order that when I[b] am present I may not have to act severely according to the authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 13:10 Here “although” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am absent”) which is understood as concessive
  2. 2 Corinthians 13:10 Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“am present”) which is understood as temporal

Examine yourselves(A) to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves.(B) Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you(C)—unless, of course, you fail the test? And I trust that you will discover that we have not failed the test. Now we pray to God that you will not do anything wrong—not so that people will see that we have stood the test but so that you will do what is right even though we may seem to have failed. For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. We are glad whenever we are weak(D) but you are strong;(E) and our prayer is that you may be fully restored.(F) 10 This is why I write these things when I am absent, that when I come I may not have to be harsh(G) in my use of authority—the authority the Lord gave me for building you up, not for tearing you down.(H)

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