2 Corinthians 9–10

9For as touching ^athe ministering to ^bthe saints, it is superfluous for me to write to you: ²For I know ^cthe forwardness of your mind, ^dfor which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that ^eAchaia was ready ^fa year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many. ³Yet have I sent ^gthe brethren, lest ^hour boasting of you should be in vain ⁱin this behalf; that, ^jas I said, ye may be ready: ⁴Lest haply if ^kthey of Macedonia come with me, and find you unprepared, we (that we say not, ye) should be ashamed in ^lthis same ^mconfident boasting. ⁵Therefore I thought it necessary to exhort ^gthe brethren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your ^†bounty, ^||whereof ye had notice before, that the same might be ready, ⁿas a matter of ^||bounty, and ^onot as of covetousness. ⁶But this I say, ^pHe which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. ⁷Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; ^qnot ^rgrudgingly, or of necessity: for ^sGod loveth a cheerful giver. ⁸And ^ptGod is able to make all ^ugrace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every ^xgood work: ⁹(As it is written, ^yHe hath dispersed abroad; he hath given to the poor: his righteousness remaineth for ever. ¹⁰Now he that ^zministereth seed to the sower both minister bread for your food, and multiply your seed sown, and increase ^athe fruits of your ^brighteousness;) ¹¹Being enriched in every thing to all ^||†bountifulness, which causeth ^cthrough us thanksgiving to God. ¹²For ^adthe administration of this service not only supplieth ^ethe want of the saints, but is abundant also ^cfby many thanksgivings unto God; ¹³Whiles by the ^gexperiment of this ^dministration they ^hglorify God for your professed ⁱsubjection unto the gospel of Christ, and for your ^jliberal distribution unto them, and unto all men; ¹⁴And by their prayer for you, which long after you for the exceeding ^lgrace of God in you. ¹⁵Thanks be unto ^lGod for his unspeakable gift.

10Now I Paul myself ^abeseech you by the ^aameekness and ^bgentleness of Christ, ^cwho ^||din presence am ^ddbase among you, but being absent am bold toward you: ²But I beseech you, ^ethat I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I ^||think to be bold against ^fsome, which ^||think of us as if we walked ^gaccording to the flesh. ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war ^gafter the flesh: ⁴(For ^hthe ⁱweapons of our ^kwarfare are not carnal, but ^lmighty ^||through God ^mto the ⁿpulling down of ^ostrong holds;) ^5pCasting down ^||imaginations, and ^qevery high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every ^rthought to ^sthe obedience of Christ; ⁶And ^ehaving in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, ^twhen your obedience is fulfilled.

^7uDo ye look on things after the outward appearance? ^vIf any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as ^whe is Christ’s, even so are ^xwe Christ’s. ⁸For though I should ^yboast somewhat more of ^zour authority, which the Lord hath given us for ^zzedification, and not for your ⁿdestruction, ^aI should not be ashamed: ⁹That I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. ¹⁰For his letters, ^†say they, are ^bweighty and powerful; but ^chis bodily presence is weak, and ^dhis speech contemptible. ¹¹Let such an one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

¹²For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or ^ecompare ourselves with some that ^fcommend themselves: but ^gthey measuring themselves by themselves, and ^ecomparing themselves among themselves, ^||are not wise. ¹³But we will not ^hboast of things without our measure, but according to ⁱthe measure of the ^||rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. ¹⁴For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for ^kwe are ^lcome as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: ¹⁵Not ^hboasting of things without our measure, that is, ^mof other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be ^||enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, ¹⁶To preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast ^min another man’s ^||line of things made ready to our hand. ¹⁷But ⁿhe that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸For ^gnot he that ^fcommendeth himself is ^oapproved, but ^pwhom the Lord commendeth.