2 Corinthians 11
1 Woulde to God, yee coulde suffer a litle my foolishnes, and in deede, ye suffer me.
[But now, because my opponents are saying that Christ sent them to you as his representatives and that he did not send me], please be patient with me, too, [while I say a] few things [that may sound as if] [IRO] [I am praising myself, like] a foolish person [would do. You have been] ([putting up with/tolerating]) [those who teach what is false; ] now then, (put up with/tolerate) me [too].
2 For I am ielous ouer you, with godly ielousie: for I haue prepared you for one husband, to present you as a pure virgine to Christ:
I really do care about [what happens to] you, just as God cares about [what happens to you. Just like a father wants his daughter to be sexually pure when he presents her to the man she will marry] [MET], I [want you to belong] to Christ [alone and to no other]. I want to present you [to him] as people who remain faithful to him [only, and who have not believed the deceitful message of those who are teaching what is false].
3 But I feare least as the serpent beguiled Eue through his subtiltie, so your mindes shoulde be corrupt from the simplicitie that is in Christ.
However, just like [Satan, when he] cunningly [appeared as a] snake, deceived Eve [and caused her to disobey the Lord God], I am concerned that [those teachers] will cause you to think wrongly so that you will no longer [be faithful to] Christ alone.
4 For if he that commeth, preacheth another Iesus whome we haue not preached: or if yee receiue another spirite whome ye haue not receiued: either another Gospell, which yee haue not receiued, ye might well haue suffered him.
[I say that] because some people have come among you who are teaching [their own thoughts about] Jesus. They [are saying about him] things that are [entirely] different from what I taught you. [They are urging] you to receive a [powerful] spirit who [would come to live in you], but it is not the same [Spirit] that you received [from God when you believed in Christ]. They preach [what they call] a good message, and you accept [their message, even though it is not the same as the good message about Christ that you heard from me. And] you have gladly accepted them and their message!
5 Verely I suppose that I was not inferior to the very chiefe Apostles.
I consider that [LIT] none of those [men, even though they think of themselves as being] [IRO] extra-special apostles, are in any way greater than I am.
6 And though I be rude in speaking, yet I am not so in knowledge, but among you wee haue beene made manifest to the vttermost, in all things.
[I admit that] I am not an eloquent speaker, but I do know [God’s message]. I have made that clear to you by everything [that I have done among you and by everything that I have taught you].
7 Haue I committed an offence, because I abased my selfe, that ye might be exalted, and because I preached to you ye Gospell of God freely?
[I refused to accept money] from you as pay for teaching you God’s message about Christ. (It is ridiculous for you to think that what I did was wrong!/Was that wrong?) [RHQ] [I know that by teaching you without pay], I made myself seem [IRO] unimportant to you. [But I did it] to honor you.
8 I robbed other Churches, and tooke wages of them to doe you seruice.
[Some people might say that it was as though] [IRO] I was robbing other congregations because I accepted money from them in order that I might work among you.
9 And when I was present with you, and had neede, I was not slouthfull to the hinderance of any man: for that which was lacking vnto me, the brethre which came from Macedonia, supplied, and in all thinges I kept and will keepe my selfe, that I should not be grieuous to you.
Furthermore, when I was [there] with you and had no [money to buy the things that I needed], I did not cause any [of you] ([to have difficulties by my depending on you/by asking you for money/support]), because our [(inc)] fellow believers who came from [here in] Macedonia [province] brought enough [money for me to buy everything] that I needed. So I have not caused you any difficulty at all [by asking you for money], and I never will [ask you for money] [EUP].
10 The trueth of Christ is in me, that this reioycing shall not be shut vp against me in the regions of Achaia.
[And] as [sure as you know that] everything that Christ says is true, [you can be sure that what] I say [to you now is true. Wherever I go] there in Achaia [province], [I do not let you believers pay me for doing God’s work among you]. And no one will be able to prevent me from boasting [about that].
11 Wherefore? because I loue you not? God knoweth.
No one should wrongly [RHQ] think that it is because I do not love you that [I do not take pay from you]. God knows [that you truly/really are very dear to me].
12 But what I doe, that will I doe: that I may cut away occasion from them which desire occasion, that they might be found like vnto vs in that wherein they reioyce.
There are [some men there among you] who would like to be able to say boastfully that they [work among you] just as I do. So, in order to make it impossible [IDM] [for them to say that], I have [refused to accept pay from you], and I will continue doing that.
13 For such false apostles are deceitfull workers, and transforme themselues into the Apostles of Christ.
Those men are lying [when they say that they are] apostles. They work deceitfully. [Even though they say that they work for God, they are working only for themselves]. They try to make people think that Christ [sent them] as his apostles, [but they do not truly represent him].
14 And no marueile: for Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light.
I am not surprised [that they act like that], because Satan himself causes people to think [that he has come] as a shining messenger [from God].
15 Therefore it is no great thing, though his ministers transforme themselues, as though they were the ministers of righteousnes, whose end shall be according to their workes.
So it should not surprise [you] if these men, who [really] serve [Satan, do good things in order] to make you think they [serve God]. Some day God will [punish them] according to what they deserve because of the [evil] things that they do.
16 I say againe, Let no man thinke that I am foolish, or els take mee euen as a foole, that I also may boast my selfe a litle.
I say again: I do not want any of you to think that my [boasting about myself] is like foolish [people] boast. But even if anyone [thinks that I am boasting about myself like a foolish person boasts, listen to] what I [have to say anyway, just like you listen to those false apostles]. They really [speak] foolishly! Listen to me while I also boast a little.
17 That I speake, I speake it not after the Lord: but as it were foolishly, in this my great boasting.
About the things that I am [going to tell you], boasting confidently [about myself, surely you know that they are not the kind of things] that the Lord [Jesus] would say. Instead, [I will speak] as a foolish [person would speak].
18 Seeing that many reioyce after the flesh, I will reioyce also.
Because many among you are boasting [about their own work], as unbelievers do, I will also boast [about myself and my work] [MTY, IRO].
19 For ye suffer fooles gladly, because that yee are wise.
[I am sure that you, who think that you are so wise, will accept what I say] because you gladly [accept the] false teachers and the foolish things [that they say].
20 For ye suffer, euen if a man bring you into bondage, if a man deuoure you, if a man take your goods, if a man exalt himselfe, if a man smite you on the face.
When people [treat] you as if they were your bosses, you gladly submit [to them. You think that it is all right when others] force you to provide for their needs. You think that it is all right [when people] take control over you, when they boast about themselves, [or when they insult you by] slapping you in the face.
21 I speake as concerning the reproche: as though that we had bene weake: but wherein any man is bold (I speake foolishly) I am bold also.
I agree that I was not bold enough to treat you in such ways. [Ha! Do you think that] [IRO] I should feel ashamed [because I did not do that?] So now, talking like a person who does not have any sense, I will boldly tell you [some things about myself, just like those false apostles tell you things about themselves].
22 They are Hebrues, so am I: they are Israelites, so am I: they are the seede of Abraham, so am I:
Do [they tell you] that they are Hebrews [and can speak the Hebrew language?] Well, I can say the same thing [about myself]. Do they [tell you that they] belong [to God’s people], the nation of Israel? Well, I can say the same thing [about myself]. [Do they tell you that] they are descendants of [our great] ancestor Abraham? Well, he is my ancestor, too.
23 They are the ministers of Christ (I speake as a foole) I am more: in labours more aboundant: in stripes aboue measure: in prison more plenteously: in death oft.
[Do they tell you how much] work they have done for Christ? Now I am talking like a crazy person talks [EUP]. Well, I work for Christ much more [than they do. I have been] in prison many more times [than they have. Many times I] have been beaten {[people] have beaten me} very severely [because I believe in and obey Christ]. Many times I almost died [because of serving Christ].
24 Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fourtie stripes saue one.
On five occasions Jewish [religious leaders] beat me 39 times with a whip.
25 I was thrise beaten with roddes: I was once stoned: I suffered thrise shipwracke: night and day haue I bene in the deepe sea.
On three occasions I was beaten {[Roman] officials beat me} with wooden sticks. On one occasion [a large crowd of people] threw stones at me [to kill me]. On three occasions the ship [that I was traveling on] was wrecked [and sank. On one of those occasions] I was [floating] in the water a night and a day [before I was rescued].
26 In iourneying I was often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine owne nation, in perils among the Gentiles, in perils in the citie, in perils in wildernes, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren,
As I have often traveled to other places, [I have often risked losing my life. For example], sometimes I have been in danger [crossing] rivers. [I have been] in danger [traveling in places] where there were bandits. [At times I have been in] danger among people of my own nation, [the Jews], and [at other times I been in] danger among those who are not Jews. [I have been] in danger in cities, and I have been in dangerous situations in barren areas. I have been in dangerous situations [when I was traveling in ships]. [I have been in] danger among people who falsely [claim to be] fellow believers.
27 In wearinesse and painefulnesse, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in colde and in nakednesse.
I have worked very hard [DOU] [to earn] ([a living/what I need]), and often I did not sleep. At times I was hungry and thirsty, and at times I did not have enough time to eat. Sometimes I was cold [because] I did not have enough clothes [to wear].
28 Beside the thinges which are outwarde, I am combred dayly, and haue the care of all the Churches.
In addition to all that, I am constantly and deeply concerned about all the congregations [that I have helped to begin].
29 Who is weake, and I am not weake? who is offended, and I burne not?
[Every time that I hear about fellow believers] [RHQ] who are not strong [spiritually], I sympathize with them [and try to help them. Every time that I learn about a fellow believer] [RHQ] who causes [another believer] to do something wrong, that makes me very angry.
30 If I must needes reioyce, I will reioyce of mine infirmities.
Because [it seems that] it is necessary for me to [continue] boasting [about myself], I will boast about things that [caused some people to think of me] as being weak.
31 The God, euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which is blessed for euermore, knoweth that I lie not. (aiōn g165)
God, who is the Father of our [(inc)] Lord Jesus, and who is the one [whom we should] praise forever, knows that I am not lying [about this]. (aiōn g165)
32 In Damascus the gouernour of the people vnder King Aretas, layde watch in the citie of the Damascens, and would haue caught me.
[One time when I was] in Damascus [city], the governor whom King Aretas [had appointed] to rule [part of his area, told his soldiers] to guard [the gates of] the city so that they could seize me [if I tried to leave the city].
33 But at a window was I let downe in a basket through the wall, and escaped his handes.
But [my friends] helped me to escape [by] putting me in a large basket and lowering me [to the ground by a rope] through an opening in the [city] wall. [That was really humiliating]!
