2 Corinthians 11
1 O that ye tolerated a little of my foolishness, but tolerate me too.
I wish you could have borne with a little foolish boasting on my part. Nay, do bear with me.
2 For I am jealous for you with a jealousy of God. For I betrothed you to one husband, a pure virgin to present to 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 somehow, as the serpent enticed Eve by his craftiness, so your thoughts might be corrupted from the simplicity in 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 indeed if a man who comes, preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or ye receive another spirit that ye did not receive, or another good news that ye did not accept, ye well tolerated it.
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 to come short in nothing of those, superlative apostles.
Why, I reckon myself in no respect inferior to those superlatively great Apostles.
6 But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet not in knowledge, but in everything made known in all things to 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 did I commit a sin lowering myself so that ye might be lifted up, because I preached to you the good news of God freely?
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 I robbed other congregations, having taken a wage in order for your service.
Other Churches I robbed, receiving pay from them in order to do you service.
9 And being present with you, and when needy, I was a burden to no man. For the brothers who came from Macedonia, they supplied my need. And in everything I kept and I will keep myself non-burdensome to you.
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 The truth of Christ is in me that this pride in me will not be stopped 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 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.
And why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do.
12 But what I do, I also will do, so that I may cut off the opportunity of those who desire an opportunity, that in what they boast, they might appear just as we also.
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 men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising 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 even Satan disguises himself into an agent of light.
And no wonder. Satan, their master, can disguise himself as an angel of light.
15 Therefore, it is no great thing if his helpers also disguise themselves as helpers of righteousness, whose end will 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 I say again, let not any man think me to be foolish, but if otherwise-even if as foolish-accept me, so that I also may boast some a little.
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 speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of the boast.
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 boast according to the flesh, I too will boast.
Since many boast for merely human reasons, I too will boast.
19 For being wise, ye gladly tolerate the foolish.
Wise as you yourselves are, you find pleasure in tolerating fools.
20 For ye tolerate it if some man enslaves you, if some man devours you, if some man seizes you, if some man lifts himself up, if some man strikes you on the face.
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 I speak as from shame, that we were so weak. Yet in whatever any man may be bold in foolishness, I say I too am bold.
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 Are they Hebrews? I too. Are they Israelites? I too. Are they a seed of Abraham? I too.
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.
23 Are they helpers of Christ? (I speak as being mad) I more: in toils, more abundantly; in stripes, countless; in prisons, more frequently; in deaths often.
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 the Jews five times I received forty save one.
From the Jews I five times have received forty lashes all but one.
25 Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I was shipwrecked, I have done a night and a day in the depth,
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 frequent journeys, in perils of flowing waters, in perils of bandits, in perils from my race, in perils from Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils at sea, in perils among false brothers,
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 frequent sleeplessness, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fasts, 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 Besides the external things, crowding upon me daily is the care of all the congregations.
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 made fiery?
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray into sin, and I am not aflame with indignation?
30 If it is necessary to boast, I will boast of the things of my weakness.
If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness.
31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed into the ages, knows that I do not lie. (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 guarded the city of the Damascenes wanting 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 I was lowered in a hamper through a window through 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.
