2 Corinthians 11
1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.
I could wish that you would tolerate a little folly in me! But indeed you do tolerate me.
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 over you with the jealousy of God. For I promised you in marriage as a pure bride, to one husband – the 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.
Yet I fear that it may turn out that, just as the snake by his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may have lost the loyalty and purity due from you to the 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 some newcomer is proclaiming a Jesus other than him whom we proclaimed, or if you are receiving a Spirit different from the Spirit which you received, or a good news different from that which you welcomed, then you are marvellously tolerant!
5 For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.
I do not regard myself as in any way inferior to the most eminent 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.
Though I am no trained orator, yet I am not without knowledge; indeed we made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
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?
Perhaps you say that I did wrong in humbling myself that you might be exalted – I mean because I told you God’s good news without payment.
8 I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.
I robbed other churches by taking pay from them, so that I might 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 in need, I did not become a burden to any of you; for our friends, on coming from Macedonia, supplied my needs. I kept myself, and will keep myself from being an expense to you in any way.
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 I know anything of the truth of Christ, this boast, as far as I am concerned, will not be stopped in any part of Greece.
11 Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.
Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that 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.
What I am doing now I will continue to do in order to cut away the ground from under those who are wishing for some ground for attacking me, so that as regards the thing of which they boast they may appear in their true characters, just as we do.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.
Such people are false apostles, treacherous workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ!
14 And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
And no wonder; for even Satan disguises himself 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, therefore, if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. But their end will be in accordance with 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 say again – Let no one think me a fool! Yet, if you do, at least welcome me as you would a fool, so that I, too may indulge in a little boasting.
17 That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.
When I speak like this, I am not speaking as the Master would, but as a fool might, in boasting so confidently.
18 Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.
As so many are boasting of earthly things, I, too, will boast.
19 For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.
For all your cleverness, you tolerate fools willingly enough!
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.
You tolerate a person even when they enslave you, when they plunder you, when they get you into their power, when they put on airs of superiority, when they strike 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.
I admit, to my shame, that we have been weak. But whatever the subject on which others are not afraid to boast – though it is foolish to say so – I am not afraid either!
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”? Though it is madness to talk like this, I am more so than they! I have had more of toil, more of imprisonment! I have been flogged times without number. I have been often at death’s door.
24 Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.
Five times I received at the hands of my own people forty lashes, all but 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 have spent a whole day and night in the deep.
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;
My journeys have been many. I have been through dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in towns, dangers in the country, dangers on the sea, dangers among people pretending to be followers of the Lord.
27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.
I have been through toil and hardship. I have passed many a sleepless night; I have endured hunger and thirst; I have often been without food; I have known cold and nakedness.
28 Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.
And, not to speak of other things, there is my daily burden of anxiety about 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 without my being weak? Who is led astray without my burning with indignation?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.
If I must boast, I will boast of things which 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 – he who is for ever blessed – knows that I am speaking the truth. (aiōn g165)
32 In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me.
When I was in Damascus, the Governor under King Aretas had the gates of that city guarded, so as to arrest me,
33 I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.
but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.
