2 Corinthians 11
1 Woulde to God, yee coulde suffer a litle my foolishnes, and in deede, ye suffer me.
I could wish that you would tolerate a little folly in me! But indeed you do tolerate me.
2 For I am ielous ouer you, with godly ielousie: for I haue prepared you for one husband, to present you as a pure virgine to Christ:
I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God. For I promised you in marriage as a pure bride, to one husband – the Christ.
3 But I feare least as the serpent beguiled Eue through his subtiltie, so your mindes shoulde be corrupt from the simplicitie that is in Christ.
Yet I fear that it may turn out that, just as the snake by his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may have lost the loyalty and purity due from you to the Christ.
4 For if he that commeth, preacheth another Iesus whome we haue not preached: or if yee receiue another spirite whome ye haue not receiued: either another Gospell, which yee haue not receiued, ye might well haue suffered him.
For, if some newcomer is proclaiming a Jesus other than him whom we proclaimed, or if you are receiving a Spirit different from the Spirit which you received, or a good news different from that which you welcomed, then you are marvellously tolerant!
5 Verely I suppose that I was not inferior to the very chiefe Apostles.
I do not regard myself as in any way inferior to the most eminent apostles!
6 And though I be rude in speaking, yet I am not so in knowledge, but among you wee haue beene made manifest to the vttermost, in all things.
Though I am no trained orator, yet I am not without knowledge; indeed we made this perfectly clear to you in every way.
7 Haue I committed an offence, because I abased my selfe, that ye might be exalted, and because I preached to you ye Gospell of God freely?
Perhaps you say that I did wrong in humbling myself that you might be exalted – I mean because I told you God’s good news without payment.
8 I robbed other Churches, and tooke wages of them to doe you seruice.
I robbed other churches by taking pay from them, so that I might serve you!
9 And when I was present with you, and had neede, I was not slouthfull to the hinderance of any man: for that which was lacking vnto me, the brethre which came from Macedonia, supplied, and in all thinges I kept and will keepe my selfe, that I should not be grieuous to you.
And, when I was with you in need, I did not become a burden to any of you; for our friends, on coming from Macedonia, supplied my needs. I kept myself, and will keep myself from being an expense to you in any way.
10 The trueth of Christ is in me, that this reioycing shall not be shut vp against me in the regions of Achaia.
As surely as I know anything of the truth of Christ, this boast, as far as I am concerned, will not be stopped in any part of Greece.
11 Wherefore? because I loue you not? God knoweth.
Why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!
12 But what I doe, that will I doe: that I may cut away occasion from them which desire occasion, that they might be found like vnto vs in that wherein they reioyce.
What I am doing now I will continue to do in order to cut away the ground from under those who are wishing for some ground for attacking me, so that as regards the thing of which they boast they may appear in their true characters, just as we do.
13 For such false apostles are deceitfull workers, and transforme themselues into the Apostles of Christ.
Such people are false apostles, treacherous workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ!
14 And no marueile: for Satan himselfe is transformed into an Angel of light.
And no wonder; for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing, though his ministers transforme themselues, as though they were the ministers of righteousnes, whose end shall be according to their workes.
It is not surprising, therefore, if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. But their end will be in accordance with their actions.
16 I say againe, Let no man thinke that I am foolish, or els take mee euen as a foole, that I also may boast my selfe a litle.
I say again – Let no one think me a fool! Yet, if you do, at least welcome me as you would a fool, so that I, too may indulge in a little boasting.
17 That I speake, I speake it not after the Lord: but as it were foolishly, in this my great boasting.
When I speak like this, I am not speaking as the Master would, but as a fool might, in boasting so confidently.
18 Seeing that many reioyce after the flesh, I will reioyce also.
As so many are boasting of earthly things, I, too, will boast.
19 For ye suffer fooles gladly, because that yee are wise.
For all your cleverness, you tolerate fools willingly enough!
20 For ye suffer, euen if a man bring you into bondage, if a man deuoure you, if a man take your goods, if a man exalt himselfe, if a man smite you on the face.
You tolerate a person even when they enslave you, when they plunder you, when they get you into their power, when they put on airs of superiority, when they strike you in the face!
21 I speake as concerning the reproche: as though that we had bene weake: but wherein any man is bold (I speake foolishly) I am bold also.
I admit, to my shame, that we have been weak. But whatever the subject on which others are not afraid to boast – though it is foolish to say so – I am not afraid either!
22 They are Hebrues, so am I: they are Israelites, so am I: they are the seede 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 They are the ministers of Christ (I speake as a foole) I am more: in labours more aboundant: in stripes aboue measure: in prison more plenteously: in death oft.
Are they “Servants of Christ”? Though it is madness to talk like this, I am more so than they! I have had more of toil, more of imprisonment! I have been flogged times without number. I have been often at death’s door.
24 Of the Iewes fiue times receiued I fourtie stripes saue one.
Five times I received at the hands of my own people forty lashes, all but one.
25 I was thrise beaten with roddes: I was once stoned: I suffered thrise shipwracke: night and day haue I bene in the deepe sea.
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a whole day and night in the deep.
26 In iourneying I was often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of mine owne nation, in perils among the Gentiles, in perils in the citie, in perils in wildernes, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren,
My journeys have been many. I have been through dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in towns, dangers in the country, dangers on the sea, dangers among people pretending to be followers of the Lord.
27 In wearinesse and painefulnesse, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in colde and in nakednesse.
I have been through toil and hardship. I have passed many a sleepless night; I have endured hunger and thirst; I have often been without food; I have known cold and nakedness.
28 Beside the thinges which are outwarde, I am combred dayly, and haue the care of all the Churches.
And, not to speak of other things, there is my daily burden of anxiety about all the churches.
29 Who is weake, and I am not weake? who is offended, and I burne not?
Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led astray without my burning with indignation?
30 If I must needes reioyce, I will reioyce of mine infirmities.
If I must boast, I will boast of things which show my weakness!
31 The God, euen the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ, which is blessed for euermore, knoweth that I lie not. (aiōn g165)
The God and Father of the Lord Jesus – he who is for ever blessed – knows that I am speaking the truth. (aiōn g165)
32 In Damascus the gouernour of the people vnder King Aretas, layde watch in the citie of the Damascens, and would haue caught me.
When I was in Damascus, the Governor under King Aretas had the gates of that city guarded, so as to arrest me,
33 But at a window was I let downe in a basket through the wall, and escaped his handes.
but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.
