¹⁰ So if I come, I will call attention to what he is doing in spreading false charges against us. And not content with those charges, he refuses to welcome the brothers and sisters and even prevents those who want to do so and expels them from the church.^(A)

The Lord Vindicates Zion

² I warned those who sinned previously and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not be lenient—

³⁴ They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?” And they drove him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”^[a](A)

²² “Blessed are you when people hate you and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you^[a] on account of the Son of Man.^(A)

⁵ Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do for the brothers and sisters, even though they are strangers to you;^(A)

Paul Defends His Ministry

10 I myself, Paul, appeal to you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you but bold toward you when I am away!^(A)— ² I ask that when I am present I need not show boldness by daring to oppose those who think we are acting according to human standards.^{[a](B) 3} Indeed, we live as humans^[b] but do not wage war according to human standards,^{[c] 4} for the weapons of our warfare are not merely human,^[d] but they have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments^{(C) 5} and every proud obstacle raised up against the knowledge of God, and we take every thought captive to obey Christ.^{(D) 6} We are ready to punish every disobedience when your obedience is complete.^(E)

⁷ Look^[e] at what is before your eyes. If you are confident that you belong to Christ, remind yourself of this, that just as you belong to Christ, so also do we.^{(F) 8} Now, even if I boast a little too much of our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for tearing you down, I will not be ashamed of it.^{(G) 9} I do not want to seem as though I am trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰ For someone says,^[f] “His letters are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak and his speech contemptible.”^{(H) 11} Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent we will also do when present.