¹But I myself, Paul, entreat you by the meekness and gentleness of the Christ, who, as to appearance, [when present] [am] mean among you, but absent am bold towards you;

¹Mimi Paulo mwenyewe ambaye naonekana kuwa mpole nikiwa pamoja nanyi, lakini mkali wakati nikiwa mbali nanyi, nawasihini kwa huruma na wema wake Kristo.

²but I beseech that present I may not be bold with the confidence with which I think to be daring towards some who think of us as walking according to flesh.

²Nawaombeni msinisababishe kuwa mkali wakati nitakapokuja, maana nina hakika naweza kuwa mkali kwa wote wale wanaotudhania kwamba tunaishi kidunia.

³For walking in flesh, we do not war according to flesh.

³Kweli tunaishi duniani, lakini hatupigani vita kidunia.

⁴For the arms of our warfare [are] not fleshly, but powerful according to God to [the] overthrow of strongholds;

⁴Maana, silaha tunazotumia katika vita vyetu si silaha za kidunia, ila ni nguvu za Mungu zenye kuharibu ngome zote. Tunaharibu hoja zote za uongo,

⁵overthrowing reasonings and every high thing that lifts itself up against the knowledge of God, and leading captive every thought into the obedience of the Christ;

⁵na kubomoa kila kizuizi cha majivuno kilichowekwa kuipinga elimu ya Mungu; tunaziteka fikira zote na kuzifanya zimtii Kristo.

⁶and having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when your obedience shall have been fulfilled.

⁶Mkisha kuwa wakamilifu katika kutii, sisi tuko tayari kuadhibu kila namna ya kutotii.

⁷Do ye look at what concerns appearance? If any one has confidence in himself that he is of Christ, let him think this again in himself, that even as he [is] of Christ, so also [are] we.

⁷Ninyi hutazama mambo kwa nje tu. Je, yupo mtu yeyote anayedhani kwamba yeye ni wa Kristo? Sawa! Basi, afikirie vilevile kwamba sisi pia ni wa Kristo kama yeye alivyo wa Kristo.

⁸For and if I should boast even somewhat more abundantly of our authority, which the Lord has given [to us] for building up and not for your overthrowing, I shall not be put to shame;

⁸Hata kama nimezidi katika kujivuna kwangu juu ya ule uwezo aliotupa--uwezo wa kuwajenga na sio wa kubomoa--hata hivyo sijutii hata kidogo.

⁹that I may not seem as if I was frightening you by letters:

⁹Sipendi mfikiri kwamba nataka kuwatisha ninyi kwa barua zangu.

¹⁰because his letters, he says, [are] weighty and strong, but his presence in the body weak, and his speech naught.

¹⁰Mtu anaweza kusema: "Barua za Paulo ni kali na zenye maneno mazito, lakini yeye mwenyewe anapokuwa pamoja nasi ni mtu dhaifu, na hata anapoongea maneno yake ni kama si kitu."

¹¹Let such a one think this, that such as we are in word by letters [when] absent, such also present in deed.

¹¹Mtu asemaye hivyo heri akumbuke kwamba hakuna tofauti ya yale tunayoandika katika barua wakati tuko mbali, na yale tutakayofanya wakati tutakapokuwa nanyi.

¹²For we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves; but these, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves with themselves, are not intelligent.

¹²Kwa vyovyote hatungethubutu kujiweka au kujilinganisha na wale watu wanaojisifia wenyewe. Watu wenye kujifanya wao kuwa kipimo cha kujipimia, na watu wanaojilinganisha wenyewe kwa wenyewe, ni wapumbavu.

¹³Now *we* will not boast out of measure, but according to the measure of the rule which the God of measure has apportioned to us, to reach to you also.

¹³Lakini sisi hatutajivuna kupita kiasi; kujivuna huko kutabaki katika kile kipimo cha kazi aliyotukabidhi Mungu, kazi ambayo tunaifanya pia kwenu.

¹⁴For we do not, as not reaching to you, overstretch ourselves, (for we have come to you also in the glad tidings of the Christ;)

¹⁴Na kwa vile ninyi mu katika mipaka hiyo, hatukuipita tulipokuja kwenu, tukiwaleteeni Habari Njema juu ya Kristo.

¹⁵not boasting out of measure in other people's labours, but having hope, your faith increasing, to be enlarged amongst you, according to our rule, yet more abundantly

¹⁵Basi, hatujivunii kazi waliyofanya wengine zaidi ya kipimo tulichopewa; ila tunatumaini kwamba imani yenu itazidi miongoni mwenu kufuatana na kipimo alichotuwekea Mungu.

¹⁶to announce the glad tidings to that [which is] beyond you, not to be boasting in another's rule of things made ready to hand.

¹⁶Hapo tutaweza kuihubiri Habari Njema katika nchi nyingine, mbali nanyi; na haitakuwa shauri la kujivunia kazi waliyofanya watu wengine mahali pengine.

¹⁷But he that boasts, let him boast in the Lord.

¹⁷Lakini kama yasemavyo Maandiko: "Mwenye kuona fahari na aone fahari juu ya alichofanya Bwana."

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

¹⁸Anayekubaliwa si yule anayejisifu mwenyewe, bali yule anayesifiwa na Bwana.