2 Corinthians 11

1 I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

I would that ye could bear with me a little, that I might talk foolishly: and indeed, bear ye with me.

2 For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I married you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Messiah.

For I am jealous over you, with a godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to a husband as a chaste virgin, whom I would present to the Messiah.

3 But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the sincerity and purity that is in the Messiah.

But I fear, lest, as the serpent beguiled Eve by his craftiness, so your minds should be corrupted from simplicity towards the Messiah.

4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if you receive a different spirit, which you did not receive, or a different gospel, which you did not accept, you put up with that well enough.

For if he that cometh to you, had proclaimed to you another Jesus, whom we have not proclaimed; or if ye had received another Spirit, which ye have not received; or another gospel, which ye have not accepted; ye might well have given assent.

5 For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.

For, I suppose, I came not short of those legates who most excel.

6 Even though I am unskilled in speech, I am not unskilled in knowledge. But in every way we have made this known to you in all things.

For, though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but in all things we have been manifest among you.

7 Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God's gospel free of charge?

Did I indeed commit an offence, by humbling myself that ye might be exalted? and by proclaiming the gospel of God to you gratis?

8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them that I might serve you.

And I robbed other churches, and I took pay of them for ministering to you.

9 When I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.

And when I came among you and was needy, I was burdensome to none of you; for the brethren who came from Macedonia, supplied my wants: and in all things I kept myself, and I will keep myself, from being burdensome to you.

10 As the truth of Messiah is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

As the truth of the Messiah is in me, this glorying shall not be made vain as to me in the regions of Achaia.

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

Why? Because I do not love you? God knoweth.

12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion, that in which they boast, they may be found even as we.

But what I do, that also I will do; that I may cut off occasion, from them who seek occasion: so that in the thing wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Messiah's apostles.

For they are false legates, crafty workers, and feign themselves to be legates of the Messiah.

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

And in this there is nothing strange. For if Satan feigneth himself an angel of light,

15 It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

it is no great thing if his ministers feign themselves ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

16 I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.

Again I say, let no one think of me, as being a fool: or if otherwise, receive me as a fool, that I may glory a little.

17 That which I speak, I do not speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

What I am now saying, I say not in our Lord, but as in folly, in this matter of glorying.

18 Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.

Because many glory after the flesh, I also will glory.

19 For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.

For ye hear with indulgence them who lack reason, seeing ye are wise.

20 For you put up with it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone exalts himself, if someone strikes you on the face.

And ye give ear to him, who putteth you in bondage; and to him, who devoureth you; and to him, who taketh from you; and to him, who exalteth himself over you; and to him, who smiteth you in the face.

21 I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet however any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

I speak as if under contempt: I speak as if we were impotent, through deficiency of understanding; that in whatever thing any one is presuming, I also am presuming.

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

If they are Hebrews, so I also: or if they are Israelites, I also. If they are the seed of Abraham, I also.

23 Are they servants of Messiah? (I speak as one beside himself) I am more so; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths often.

If they are ministers of the Messiah, (in defect of understanding, I say it, ) I am superior to them: in toils more than they, in stripes more than they, in bonds more than they, in deaths many times.

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

By the Jews, five times was I scourged, each time with forty stripes save one.

25 Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

Three times was I beaten with rods: at one time I was stoned: three times I was in shipwreck, by day and by night; I have been in the sea, without a ship.

26 I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from those who are not Jews, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;

In journeyings many, in peril by rivers, in peril by robbers, in peril from my kindred, in peril from Gentiles: I have been in peril in cities; I have been in peril in the desert, in peril in the sea, in peril from false brethren.

27 in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

In toil and weariness, in much watching, in hunger and thirst, in much fasting, in cold and nakedness:

28 Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily, anxiety for all the churches.

besides many other things, and the thronging around me every day, and my anxiety for all the churches.

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

Who becometh weak, and I become not weak? Who is stumbled, and I burn not?

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

If I must glory, I will glory in my infirmities.

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forevermore, knows that I do not lie. (aiōn g165)

God, the Father of our Lord Jesus the Messiah, blessed for ever and ever, he knoweth that I lie not. (aiōn g165)

32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes, desiring to arrest me.

At Damascus, the commander of the army of Aretas the king, guarded the city of the Damascenes, to seize me.

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

And from a window, in a basket, they let me down from the wall, and I escaped from his hands.