2 Corinthians 11

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

I wish you would bear with me a little in my foolishness: yes, 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 of you with a godly jealousy; because I have espoused you to one husband, that I might 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 am afraid that, by some means, as the serpent beguiled Eve by his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity due to 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 who has come preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached; or, if you receive another Spirit which you have not received; or another gospel which you have not embraced; you might justly bear with him.

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

For I reckon myself to have come nothing short of the very chief of the 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.

And even though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge. But upon the whole, we have been made manifest to you in all things.

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 an offense in humbling myself that you might be exalted; because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

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

I robbed other congregations, taking wages of them to do you service;

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.

for being present with you, and in want, we were burdensome to no one; but what I wanted, the brethren from Macedonia supplied: and in everything I have kept, and will keep myself from being burdensome to you.

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

Is the truth in me? then this my boasting shall not be prevented in the regions of Achaia.

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

For what reason? 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, that I will do, that I may cut off opportunity from them who desire opportunity; that in what 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 workmen, transforming themselves into Apostles of Christ.

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

And no wonder; 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.

Therefore, it is no great wonder 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.

Moreover, I say, let no one think me a fool; but, if otherwise, at least, as a fool, bear with me, that I also may boast a little.

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

What I speak in this confident boasting, I do not speak according to the Lord; but as in foolishness.

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

Seeing many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.

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

For, being wise, you bear with fools cheerfully.

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 if one enslave you, you bear it; if one devour you, if one take your goods, if one exalt himself, if one strike 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 of reproach, as, that we are weak. But, in whatever any one is bold, (I speak foolishly, ) I am bold also.

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

Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

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 a fool, ) I am above them: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often;

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

of the Jews, five times 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 I was beaten with rods, once I was stone, thrice I was ship-wrecked: I have spent a night and a day 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 journeys often, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the heathens, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness, in dangers at sea, in dangers 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 labor and toil; in watching 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 these troubles from without, that which is my daily pressure, the anxious care of all the congregations.

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 made to stumble, and I do not burn?

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

If I must boast, I will boast of the things which relate to my weakness.

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 our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for ever, knows 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 governor under King Aretas, intending to apprehend me, guarded the city of the Damascenes;

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

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