2 Corinthians 11

1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that.

2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you in marriage to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit which you didn’t receive, or a different “good news” which you didn’t accept, you put up with that well enough.

For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.

5 For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.

I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”

6 But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.

Although I am not a polished speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way possible.

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge?

Was it a sin for me to humble myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

8 I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.

I robbed other churches by accepting their support in order to serve you.

9 When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.

And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

11 Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.

Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

12 But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity, that in which they boast, they may be recognized just like us.

But I will keep on doing what I am doing, in order to undercut those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things of which they boast.

13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

15 It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

16 I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.

I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

17 That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.

18 Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.

Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast.

19 For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.

For you gladly tolerate fools, since you are so wise.

20 For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.

In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face.

21 To my shame, I speak as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

To my shame I concede that we were too weak for that! Speaking as a fool, however, I can match what anyone else dares to boast about.

22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring of Abraham? So am I.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

23 Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often.

Are they servants of Christ? I am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.

24 Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.

Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

26 I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;

In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,

27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

28 Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.

Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie. (aiōn g165)

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying. (aiōn g165)

32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me.

In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.

33 I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.

But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.