2 Corinthians 11

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

Would that ye would bear with me [in] a little folly; but indeed bear with me.

2 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.

For I am jealous as to you with a jealousy [which is] of God; for I have espoused you unto one man, to present [you] a chaste virgin to Christ.

3 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.

But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craft, [so] your thoughts should be corrupted from simplicity as to the Christ.

4 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.

For if indeed he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or ye get a different Spirit, which ye have not got, or a different glad tidings, which ye have not received, ye might well bear with [it].

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

For I reckon that in nothing I am behind those who are in surpassing degree apostles.

6 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.

But if [I am] a simple person in speech, yet not in knowledge, but in everything making [the truth] manifest in all things to you.

7 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?

Have I committed sin, abasing myself in order that ye might be exalted, because I gratuitously announced to you the glad tidings of God?

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

I spoiled other assemblies, receiving hire for ministry towards you.

9 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.

And being present with you and lacking, I did not lazily burden any one, (for the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied what I lacked, ) and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will keep myself.

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

[The] truth of Christ is in me that this boasting shall not be stopped as to me in the regions of Achaia.

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

Why? because I do not love you? God knows.

12 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.

But what I do, I will also do, that I may cut off the opportunity of those wishing [for] an opportunity, that wherein they boast they may be found even as we.

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

For such [are] false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

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

And [it is] not wonderful, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

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

It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

16 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.

Again I say, Let not any one think me to be a fool; but if otherwise, receive me then even as a fool, that I also may boast myself some little.

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

What I speak I do not speak according to [the] Lord, but as in folly, in this confidence of boasting.

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

Since many boast according to flesh, I also will boast.

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

For ye bear fools readily, being wise.

20 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.

For ye bear if any one bring you into bondage, if any one devour [you], if any one get [your money], if any one exalt himself, if any one beat you on the face.

21 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.

I speak as to dishonour, as though we had been weak; but wherein any one is daring, (I speak in folly, ) I also am daring.

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

Are they Hebrews? I also. Are they Israelites? I also. Are they seed of Abraham? I also.

23 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.

Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as being beside myself) I above measure [so]; in labours exceedingly abundant, in stripes to excess, in prisons exceedingly abundant, in deaths oft.

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

From the Jews five times have I received forty [stripes], save one.

25 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.

Thrice have I been scourged, once I have been stoned, three times I have suffered shipwreck, a night and day I passed in the deep:

26 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,

in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from [my own] race, in perils from [the] nations, in perils in [the] city, in perils in [the] desert, in perils on [the] sea, in perils among false brethren;

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

in labour and toil, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

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

Besides those things that are without, the crowd [of cares] pressing on me daily, the burden of all the assemblies.

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

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I burn not?

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

If it is needful to boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.

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

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows — he who is blessed for ever — that I do not lie. (aiōn g165)

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

In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes shut up, wishing to take me;

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

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