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.
Ŋen Bulus gopəṯo etam gəlëɽəŋu
1 Igënəñi Bulus, egandeɽəd̶ia d̶əd̶ərnaṯad̶a aralo d̶-Almasiya na d̶ələŋeṯad̶a d̶əlëɽəŋu, igënəñi ñiŋgi igëbia ndə ləgəfr orn ñiŋgi egwonḏəṯo ndə ləgerr ləgəfiar. 2 Egandeɽəd̶ia kaiñ ṯa ñerṯe ñagəñid̶ia egwonḏəṯo kaiñ ndə egeṯo, ŋen ŋanṯa igëɽənu d̶əñano na ŋen ŋafo ŋopia ndə egwonḏəṯo egageiya led̶a ləmaṯan ildi ləbaṯa ṯa nanda ñagabərlda eŋen ŋaŋəno. 3 Đeṯəm nanda ñagaməṯia egaŋəno orn ñagaber ñagəbwaiñəd̶ia ŋenŋa ŋeicia eŋen ŋaŋəno, 4 ŋen ŋanṯa laŋge ləd̶əbwaiñəd̶ia ed̶aiñ, gerṯe lënəŋulu laŋəno yalo orn Rəmwa rëlid̶ia lwonḏəṯo kaiñ ṯa aləgere d̶əraiñjala d̶əŋen ŋeicia. 5 Nanda ñagad̶ama d̶ələŋeṯa ŋen nəsi d̶eicia na ŋen pred̶ iŋi ŋətud̶inu ŋəɽo d̶əgeiya d̶ələŋeṯa d̶ə-Rəmwa na ñagəbëndia ŋen pred̶ ŋəŋəṯəɽa ṯa aŋəne Almasiya, 6 na ñagamed̶əño ṯa ñakəme led̶a pred̶ ildi ləned̶o lənna ŋen eŋaiñ, ndə d̶ənna ed̶alo d̶əɽiñəd̶einu.
7 Seicr ŋen iŋi ŋəfo ñaŋ nëiñua. Ndə ed̶a gənəŋ gëɽənu d̶əñano ṯa g-Almasiya, ŋgiṯəmar aŋəleldəŋəd̶eini eŋen ŋəlëɽəŋu təŋ, ŋen ŋarno gënəŋu gaṯa g-Almasiya, nṯia com ñagananda ñag-Almasiya. 8 Ŋen ŋanṯa ndə igeminu kaiñ eŋələŋ eŋaiñ iŋi Eləŋ Yesu gənaicənde ṯa ñandakaɽəjaice eŋen na gerṯe ṯa ñandəməndad̶e, egero igəd̶əñia d̶əñənano. 9 Egaber egwonaṯa ṯa ñagabaṯa ṯa igəndəgagərd̶ia nad̶amna nəlëɽəñi. 10 Ŋen ŋanṯa lënəŋulu labaṯa ṯa, “Nad̶am nəlëɽəŋu nerṯo ŋen ŋinia na nunḏeinu ŋabəɽaŋa orn ŋen ləgəfərlda gënəŋu gëbia egaŋəno na olia gəlëɽəŋu gad̶amənu.” 11 Ŋgiṯr led̶a ildi aləŋeṯe ŋen iŋi ñagəɽwata enad̶am enaiñ ndə ñagero, ñagid̶i ñid̶i ŋen ŋarno ṯia ndə ñagəfo. 12 Gerṯe d̶eṯəm ṯa ñagarno led̶a ləmaṯan ildi ləbërrəŋeid̶ənia bəɽan. Orn lënəŋulu laijəba ŋen nəsi ndə ləɽaŋa aləsoŋ lətwad̶aicia na lakəmia ntam enen bəɽan. 13 Orn nanda ñagaber ñagëmima eŋen ŋəməñaṯo ŋen eŋaiñ, orn ñagëminia eŋen iŋi ṯia ŋəɽo d̶eṯəm Rəmwa rənaicənde, na ñaŋ ñagafo eŋen iŋi. 14 Ñagaber ñagəñitia ŋələŋe eŋaiñ ŋəbərano garno led̶a ildi lero ləndrəmaṯa nano, ŋen ŋanṯa nanda ñagaɽo led̶a lananoŋ ildi leṯənde nano ṯa alənderrəŋaici ŋen ŋəŋəra ŋ-Almasiya. 15 Nanda ñagaber ñagëminia iŋəmëɽria iŋi gerṯe ŋaŋaiñ, garno ŋəmëɽria ŋəled̶a ɽrəto, orn ñagaṯurṯia ŋen ṯa d̶wonaṯa ed̶alo d̶id̶i ad̶oɽreṯe, nṯia alo yiŋəmeɽria eŋaiñ yid̶i aiyəburgwad̶emi eñaŋ, 16 ṯa ñërrəŋaid̶i ŋen ŋəŋəra ŋə-Rəmwa alo ñaŋ nëiñua, nṯia ṯa ñerṯe ñagëmima iŋəmëɽria ŋid̶ənu eŋen ŋed̶a gərto alo yenəŋ yiŋəmeɽria. 17 Orn ŋen ŋarno ad̶am gə-Rəmwa gaṯa ṯa, “Ed̶a igi gëminia, ŋgiṯəmar aŋemini eg-Eləŋ Yesu.” 18 Ŋen ŋanṯa gerṯe fed̶a igi gəberrəŋeid̶ənia bəɽan igi gəŋənënṯu, orn fed̶a igi Eləŋ Rəmwa rəmerrəŋaid̶ia gaŋənëntu.