2 Corinthians 11
1 I could wish ye would bear with me as to some little foolishness, —Nay! do even bear with me!
I wish you could have borne with a little foolish boasting on my part. Nay, do bear with me.
2 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy, of God; for I myself betrothed you unto one husband, to present, a chaste virgin, unto the Christ, —
I am jealous over you with God's own jealousy. For I have betrothed you to Christ to present you to Him like a faithful bride to her one husband.
3 But I fear lest, by any means, as, the serpent, completely deceived Eve, in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the singleness [and the chasteness] which are [due] unto the Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ.
4 For, if, indeed, he that cometh, is proclaiming, another Jesus, whom we have not proclaimed, or, a different Spirit, ye are receiving, which ye had not received, or a different glad-message, which ye have never welcomed, ye are, well, bearing.
If indeed some visitor is proclaiming among you another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or if you are receiving a Spirit different from the One you have already received or a Good News different from that which you have already welcomed, your toleration is admirable!
5 For I reckon not to have come a whit behind the exceeding overmuch apostles;
Why, I reckon myself in no respect inferior to those superlatively great Apostles.
6 And, even if uncultured in my discourse, certainly not in my knowledge, —but, in every way, having made [it] manifest, in all things, unto you.
And if in the matter of speech I am no orator, yet in knowledge I am not deficient. Nay, we have in every way made that fully evident to you.
7 Or, a sin, did I commit—abasing, myself, that, ye, might be exalted, —in that, free of charge, God’s glad-message, I announced unto you?
Is it a sin that I abased myself in order for you to be exalted, in that I proclaimed God's Good News to you without fee or reward?
8 Other assemblies, I despoiled, receiving supplies that I might minister, unto you;
Other Churches I robbed, receiving pay from them in order to do you service.
9 And, being present with you, and having come short, I was not burdensome to anyone, —for, my deficiency, the brethren, coming from Macedonia, helped to make up; —and, in everything, without burden unto you, I kept, myself—and will keep!
And when I was with you and my resources failed, there was no one to whom I became a burden--for the brethren when they came from Macedonia fully supplied my wants--and I kept myself from being in the least a burden to you, and will do so still.
10 Truth of Christ is in me, that, this boasting, shall not be silenced unto me, in the regions of Achaia.
Christ knows that it is true when I say that I will not be stopped from boasting of this anywhere in Greece.
11 Wherefore? Because I love you not? God, knoweth!
And why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do.
12 But, what I am doing, I also will do, —that I may cut off the occasion of them who are wishing an occasion, that, wherein they are boasting themselves, they may be found even as also, we.
But I will persist in the same line of conduct in order to cut the ground from under the feet of those who desire an opportunity of getting themselves recognized as being on a level with us in the matters about which they boast.
13 For, such as these, are false apostles, deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into apostles of Christ.
For men of this stamp are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, assuming the garb of Apostles of Christ.
14 And no marvel! for, Satan himself, doth transfigure himself into a messenger of light!
And no wonder. Satan, their master, can disguise himself as an angel of light.
15 No great thing, therefore, if, his ministers also, are transfiguring themselves as ministers of righteousness!—whose end, shall be according to their works.
It is therefore no great thing for his servants also to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be in accordance with their actions.
16 Again, I say—let no one deem me to be, foolish; but, otherwise, at least, as foolish, give me welcome, that, I also, some little, may boast myself.
To return to what I was saying. Let no one suppose that I am foolish. Or if you must, at any rate make allowance for me as being foolish, in order that I, as well as they, may boast a little.
17 What I am saying, not according to the Lord, am I saying, but as in foolishness, —in this my boastful confidence!
What I am now saying, I do not say by the Lord's command, but as a fool in his folly might, in this reckless boasting.
18 Since, many, are boasting after the flesh, I also, will boast;
Since many boast for merely human reasons, I too will boast.
19 For, gladly, do ye bear with the foolish, being [yourselves], discreet, —
Wise as you yourselves are, you find pleasure in tolerating fools.
20 For ye bear with it—if anyone enslaveth you, if any devoureth, if anyone taketh, if anyone lifteth himself up, if anyone, on the face, doth smite you!
For you tolerate it, if any one enslaves you, lives at your expense, makes off with your property, gives himself airs, or strikes you on the face.
21 By way of disparagement, am I speaking, —as though, we, had been weak! whereas, in whatsoever anyone dareth, in foolishness I speak, I also, dare: —
I use the language of self-disparagement, as though I were admitting our own feebleness. Yet for whatever reason any one is 'courageous' --I speak in mere folly--I also am courageous.
22 Hebrews, are they? I also, Israelites, are they? I also, seed of Abraham, are they? I also,
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
23 Ministers of Christ, are they? As one deranged I am talking, I, above measure!—in toils, superabundantly, in prisons, superabundantly, in stripes, to excess, in deaths, oft, —
Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if I were out of my mind.) Much more am I His servant; serving Him more thoroughly than they by my labours, and more thoroughly also by my imprisonments, by excessively cruel floggings, and with risk of life many a time.
24 From Jews, five times, forty-save-one, have I received,
From the Jews I five times have received forty lashes all but one.
25 Thrice, have I been beaten with rods, once, have I been stoned, thrice, have I been shipwrecked, a day and night, in the deep, have I spent;
Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods, once I have been stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked, once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea.
26 In journeyings oft, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own race, in perils from Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils by the sea, in perils among false brethren,
I have served Him by frequent travelling, amid dangers in crossing rivers, dangers from robbers; dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles; dangers in the city, dangers in the Desert, dangers by sea, dangers from spies in our midst;
27 in toil and hardship, in watchings, oft, in hunger and thirst, in fasting, oft, in cold and nakedness: —
with labour and toil, with many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold, and with insufficient clothing.
28 Apart from the things without, my daily care, —my anxiety for all the assemblies; —
And besides other things, which I pass over, there is that which presses on me daily--my anxiety for all the Churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and, I, am not burning?
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray into sin, and I am not aflame with indignation?
30 If, to boast, is needful, in the things that concern my weakness, will I boast.
If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus, knoweth—He who is blessed unto the ages—that I am not speaking falsely: (aiōn g165)
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--He who is blessed throughout the Ages--knows that I am speaking the truth. (aiōn g165)
32 In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of Damascenes, to apprehend me, —
In Damascus the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the gates of the city in order to apprehend me,
33 And, through a window, was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
but through an opening in the wall I was let down in a basket, and so escaped his hands.
