2 Corinthians 11
1 I wish that you would endure a small amount of my foolishness, so as to bear with me.
I wish you could bear with me a little in my folly; but yet bear with me:
2 For I am jealous toward you, with the jealousy of God. And I have espoused you to one husband, offering you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
for I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you a chaste virgin to Christ.
3 But I am afraid lest, as the serpent led astray Eve by his cleverness, so your minds might be corrupted and might fall away from the simplicity which is in Christ.
But I fear lest, as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity which pertains to Christ.
4 For if anyone arrives preaching another Christ, one whom we have not preached; or if you receive another Spirit, one whom you have not received; or another Gospel, one which you have not been given: you might permit him to guide you.
For if he that comes should preach another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or, if you receive another Spirit, which you did not receive, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you would well bear with him.
5 For I consider that I have done nothing less than the great Apostles.
I count myself indeed to be in no respect inferior to the very greatest of the apostles.
6 For although I may be unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge. But, in all things, we have been made manifest to you.
But if I am unpolished in my style of speech, yet I am not so in knowledge. But we have been fully manifested among you in all things.
7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you would be exalted? For I preached the Gospel of God to you freely.
Have I committed a sin, in making myself lowly, that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel to you without cost?
8 I have taken from other churches, receiving a stipend from them to the benefit of your ministry.
I robbed other churches, taking wages to do you service: and when I was present with you, and wanted, I was not a burden to any one;
9 And when I was with you and in need, I was burdensome to no one. For the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied whatever was lacking to me. And in all things, I have kept myself, and I will keep myself, from being burdensome to you.
for the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied my wants; and in every thing I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and will continue to keep myself.
10 The truth of Christ is in me, and so this glorying shall not be broken away from me in the regions of Achaia.
As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting shall not be silenced, in my case, in the regions of Achaia.
11 Why so? Is it because I do not love you? God knows I do.
Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.
12 But what I am doing, I will continue to do, so that I may take away an opportunity from those who desire an opportunity by which they may glory, so as to be considered to be like us.
But what I am doing I will also continue to do, that I may cut off occasion from those who desire an occasion, that in what they boast, they may be found even as we.
13 For false apostles, such as these deceitful workers, are presenting themselves as if they were Apostles of Christ.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ;
14 And no wonder, for even Satan presents himself as if he were an Angel of light.
and no wonder, for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
15 Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers present themselves as if they were ministers of justice, for their end shall be according to their works.
Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves so as to be like the ministers of righteousness; of such, the end shall be according to their works.
16 I say again. And let no one consider me to be foolish. Or, at least, accept me as if I were foolish, so that I also may glory a small amount.
I say again, let no one think that I am without understanding; but if so, even as one without understanding bear with me, that I also may boast a little.
17 What I am saying is not said according to God, but as if in foolishness, in this matter of glorying.
What I say, I say not according to the Lord, but as in folly, in this same confidence of boasting.
18 Since so many glory according to the flesh, I will glory also.
Since many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast.
19 For you freely accept the foolish, though you yourselves claim to be wise.
For it is a pleasure to you to bear with men of no understanding, since you yourselves are wise.
20 For you permit it when someone guides you into servitude, even if he devours you, even if he takes from you, even if he is extolled, even if he strikes you repeatedly on the face.
For you bear it, if one enslave you, if one devour you, if one take from you, if one exalt himself, if one smite you on the face,
21 I speak according to disgrace, as if we had been weak in this regard. In this matter, (I speak in foolishness) if anyone dares, I dare also.
I speak of their reproaches, as if we were weak. In whatever matter any one is bold, (I speak foolishly, ) I also am bold.
22 They are Hebrews; so am I. They are Israelites; so am I. They are the offspring of Abraham; so am I.
Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they of the posterity of Abraham? So am I.
23 They are the ministers of Christ (I speak as if I were less wise); more so am I: with many more labors, with numerous imprisonments, with wounds beyond measure, with frequent mortifications.
Are they ministers of Christ? (I say it foolishly, ) I am above them. In labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often.
24 On five occasions, I received forty stripes, less one, from the Jews.
From the Jews, five times I received forty stripes, save one;
25 Three times, I was beaten with rods. One time, I was stoned. Three times, I was shipwrecked. For a night and a day, I was in the depths of the sea.
three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I spent in the deep.
26 I have made frequent journeys, through dangerous waters, in danger of robbers, in danger from my own nation, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger in the sea, in danger from false brothers,
In journeyings often, in perils from rivers, in perils from robbers, in perils from my own race, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
27 with hardships and difficulties, with much vigilance, in hunger and thirst, with frequent fasts, in cold and nakedness,
in weariness and in toil, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness:
28 and, in addition to these things, which are external: there is my daily earnestness and solicitude for all the churches.
besides those things which come upon me from other sources, I have a daily concourse of troubles―my anxiety for all the churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not being burned?
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I am not incensed?
30 If it is necessary to glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weaknesses.
If I must boast, I will boast in my infirmities.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, 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 At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, watched over the city of the Damascenes, so as to apprehend me.
In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, desiring to apprehend me:
33 And, through a window, I was let down along the wall in a basket; and so I escaped his hands.
and through a window I was let down in a basket through the wall, and escaped his hands.
