Paul Defends His Ministry
1 I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you—I who am said to be meek and mild when I am with you, but harsh with you when I am away. By the gentleness and kindness of Christ 2 I beg you not to force me to be harsh when I come; for I am sure I can deal harshly with those who say that we act from worldly motives. 3 It is true that we live in the world, but we do not fight from worldly motives. 4 The weapons we use in our fight are not the world's weapons but God's powerful weapons, which we use to destroy strongholds. We destroy false arguments; 5 we pull down every proud obstacle that is raised against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey Christ. 6 And after you have proved your complete loyalty, we will be ready to punish any act of disloyalty.
7 You are looking at the outward appearance of things. Are there some there who reckon themselves to belong to Christ? Well, let them think again about themselves, because we belong to Christ just as much as they do. 8 For I am not ashamed, even if I have boasted somewhat too much about the authority that the Lord has given us—authority to build you up, not to tear you down. 9 I do not want it to appear that I am trying to frighten you with my letters. 10 Someone will say, “Paul's letters are severe and strong, but when he is with us in person, he is weak, and his words are nothing!” 11 Such a person must understand that there is no difference between what we write in our letters when we are away and what we will do when we are there with you.
12 Of course we would not dare classify ourselves or compare ourselves with those who rate themselves so highly. How stupid they are! They make up their own standards to measure themselves by, and they judge themselves by their own standards! 13 As for us, however, our boasting will not go beyond certain limits; it will stay within the limits of the work which God has set for us, and this includes our work among you. 14 And since you are within those limits, we were not going beyond them when we came to you, bringing the Good News about Christ. 15 So we do not boast about the work that others have done beyond the limits God set for us. Instead, we hope that your faith may grow and that we may be able to do a much greater work among you, always within the limits that God has set. 16 Then we can preach the Good News in other countries beyond you and shall not have to boast about work already done in someone else's field.
17 But as the scripture says, “Whoever wants to boast must boast about what the Lord has done.” 18 For it is when the Lord thinks well of us that we are really approved, and not when we think well of ourselves.
aza 10
buuluz muŋw aruŋw, zulṯa kwuŋwun kweṯila nani gwu Allah
1 nyi kweni buuluz kwuturecaŋazi lu tur, ṯejilina ṯi na ŋiɽena ŋi ŋeḏi Kwruztu, laruŋwa: kweṯejilini ki rɔgwɽɔ mer iziḏizi kiyeyna ŋaŋa li, lakin kweṯi ŋazi andaci kandiza kifirli ma ŋazi gwu ere nani-na mac! 2 nyi kwutureci ŋaŋwuzi lu tur, mindaŋ menyi nani nani ŋa gwu, ŋazi ere andaci ŋiɽaŋali ŋifirli mac, kaka kitaḏa nyi gwu eḏi zi andaci kla leṯaruŋw, ŋeṯinyji erri nyiŋa kaka eṯir zi gwu leḏi ṯurmun erri. 3 na nani nyi kinna ki ṯurmun-na, eṯi nyi ere ṯugwuḏi mac kaka eṯir gwu ṯugwuḏi leḏi ṯurmun, 4 kaka eṯi gwu kwɔmne kweri kweḏi ṯuwən, kweṯi nyi gi ṯugwuḏi, ere orɔ kweḏi ṯurmun mac, lakin kweḏi ŋuma ŋeḏi Allah eḏi kiyazi ŋwufeɽera lu. 5 eṯi nyi kiyazi ṯupupaḏa lu, na kwɔmne kwete nyiḏak kweṯir piŋi eḏi ṯinyini ṯilŋiiḏina ṯeḏi Allah; eṯi nyi ummumi ṯireca yey lu tatap eḏi inyizi Kwruztuŋw nana. 6 nyiŋa linanalu cugwɔ-cugwɔp eḏi hakwumi ŋudurlaḏu tatap, ma eḏi ŋaŋa ṯinyiza nana ṯir minmin.
7 izarzi ṯi ŋinani ki yey-na yalu. muŋw eḏi kwere ṯugwor-na eḏaruŋw, nyi kweḏi Kwruztu kwiri, eḏuŋw elŋece ŋwu ki rɔgwɽɔ ruŋwun eḏaruŋw, urŋw gwu kweḏi Kwruztu, na nyiŋa tɔk leḏi Kwruztu liri. 8 eŋgi nyi kinna ellini ṯellina ṯi ṯiṯemḏelu zulṯa gi kweri, kwinḏeḏanyi Kweleny eḏi kikindezi ŋaŋwuzi, kwiti kwiri eḏi kirazi ŋaŋwuzi lu mac, eŋgi nyi ṯurony ere miḏa mac. 9 nenyi ere orɔ kaka eṯi nyi gwu naŋni eḏi ketize ŋaŋwuzi ŋiḏenya mac juwab gi. 10 kaka arir gwu ŋwu: kweṯuza juwaba kwufirli ŋiɽaŋali, lakin kwir aŋna nuŋw eni kwajila cige-cigep, na kandiza kuŋwun ere eḏi fayḏa mac. 11 eḏi lizi lir ṯa ŋwu elŋece eḏaruŋw, ŋa ŋeṯinyji andazi juwab gi, iti nani nyi gwu mac, ŋinderṯa ŋeṯinyji erri nani nyi gwu ŋaŋa li. 12 nyiŋa lende linḏi eḏi ṯeci eḏi biɽḏi rɔgwɽɔ-na reri lizi li, kla lɔkwɔ leṯiɽi rɔgwɽɔ-na reŋen, lakin mer ṯeciḏizi rɔgwɽɔ-na reŋen wuɽe-wuɽeny, mer izazi ki rɔgwɽɔ reŋen ter ter, ner zi ere elŋe ŋere mac.
13 lakin nyiŋa liti linḏi eḏellini ṯellina ṯi ṯiṯemḏelu mac, lakin nyiŋa limiḏi amra weḏi ŋɔḏɽor ŋimenyji Allah inḏeḏa mindaŋ menyi upaḏa daŋgal-na tɔk. 14 nyiŋa liti klu liṯemize rɔgwɽɔ lu reri mac kaka iti menyi gwu upaḏa daŋgal-na mac; nyiŋa liri liŋna eḏupaḏa daŋgal-na ki ṯay ṯolana ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋizaw ŋeḏi Kwruztu. 15 nyiŋa liti leṯellini ṯellina ṯi ṯiṯemḏelu mac, ki ŋɔḏɽor-na ŋeḏi lizi lir ter; lakin ṯəkiza ṯeri kizen ṯiri kḏu, ṯenuŋw, ma ṯəmna ṯalu kindeḏi enyi eḏi ŋuma eḏi kwe ŋwola kezir wolana, 16 mindaŋ menyi andazi ŋiɽaŋali ŋizaw ŋir injiil kezir wunanizaŋazi ṯoɽu ṯi la. nyiŋa liti lellineḏi ŋɔḏɽor nana mac ŋimerzi ratazi ki ṯuruny-na ṯeḏi kwir ter. 17 efrinjer ŋgwa kweṯellini, eḏuŋw ellini ŋiɽaŋal ŋi ŋeḏi Kweleny. 18 kaka eṯir ere emnizi kwizi mac kweṯi iɽi rɔgwɽɔ-na ruŋwun, lakin ŋgwa kweṯi Kweleny iɽi-na.