2 Corinthians 11

1 Put up with me if I am a little foolish: but, truly, you do put up with me.

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

2 For I have a very great care for you: because you have been married by me to one husband, and it is my desire to give you completely holy to Christ.

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.

3 But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.

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.

4 For if anyone comes preaching another Jesus from the one whose preachers we are, or if you have got a different spirit, or a different sort of good news from those which came to you, how well you put up with these things.

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.

5 For in my opinion, I am in no way less than the most important of the Apostles.

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

6 But though I am rough in my way of talking, I am not so in knowledge, as we have made clear to all by our acts among you.

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.

7 Or did I do wrong in making myself low so that you might be lifted up, because I gave you the good news of God without reward?

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?

8 I took money from other churches as payment for my work, so that I might be your servant;

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

9 And when I was present with you, and was in need, I let no man be responsible for me; for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, gave me whatever was needed; and in everything I kept myself from being a trouble to you, and I will go on doing so.

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.

10 As the true word of Christ is in me, I will let no man take from me this my cause of pride in the country of Achaia.

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

11 Why? because I have no love for you? let God be judge.

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

12 But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are.

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.

13 For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ.

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

14 And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light.

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

15 So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works.

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

16 I say again, Let me not seem foolish to anyone; but if I do, put up with me as such, so that I may take a little glory to myself.

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.

17 What I am now saying is not by the order of the Lord, but as a foolish person, taking credit to myself, as it seems.

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

18 Seeing that there are those who take credit to themselves after the flesh, I will do the same.

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

19 For you put up with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.

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

20 You put up with a man if he makes servants of you, if he makes profit out of you, if he makes you prisoners, if he puts himself in a high place, if he gives you blows on the face.

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.

21 I say this by way of shaming ourselves, as if we had been feeble. But if anyone puts himself forward (I am talking like a foolish person), I will do the same.

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.

22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they of Israel? so am I. Are they the seed 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 am talking foolishly) I am more so; I have had more experience of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure, of death.

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.

24 Five times the Jews gave me forty blows but one.

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

25 Three times I was whipped with rods, once I was stoned, three times the ship I was in came to destruction at sea, a night and a day I have been in the water;

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.

26 In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers;

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,

27 In hard work and weariness, in frequent watchings, going without food and drink, cold and in need of clothing.

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

28 In addition to all the other things, there is that which comes on me every day, the care of all the churches.

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

29 Who is feeble and I am not feeble? who is in danger of falling, and I am not angry?

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

30 If I have to take credit to myself, I will do so in the things in which I am feeble.

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

31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise for ever, is witness that the things which I say are true. (aiōn g165)

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

32 In Damascus, the ruler under Aretas the king kept watch over the town of the people of Damascus, in order to take me:

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

33 And being let down in a basket from the wall through a window, I got free from his hands.

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