2 Corinthians 11
1 O that ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
I wish you could have borne with a little foolish boasting on my part. Nay, do bear with me.
2 For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.
I am jealous over you with God's own jealousy. For I have betrothed you to Christ to present you to Him like a faithful bride to her one husband.
3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his craftiness, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
But I am afraid that, as the serpent in his craftiness deceived Eve, so your minds may be led astray from their single-heartedness and their fidelity to Christ.
4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
If indeed some visitor is proclaiming among you another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or if you are receiving a Spirit different from the One you have already received or a Good News different from that which you have already welcomed, your toleration is admirable!
5 For I suppose I was not a bit behind the very greatest apostles.
Why, I reckon myself in no respect inferior to those superlatively great Apostles.
6 But though I am rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been thoroughly made evident among you in all things.
And if in the matter of speech I am no orator, yet in knowledge I am not deficient. Nay, we have in every way made that fully evident to you.
7 Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God without charge?
Is it a sin that I abased myself in order for you to be exalted, in that I proclaimed God's Good News to you without fee or reward?
8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.
Other Churches I robbed, receiving pay from them in order to do you service.
9 And when I was present with you, and in need, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so will I keep myself.
And when I was with you and my resources failed, there was no one to whom I became a burden--for the brethren when they came from Macedonia fully supplied my wants--and I kept myself from being in the least a burden to you, and will do so still.
10 As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.
Christ knows that it is true when I say that I will not be stopped from boasting of this anywhere in Greece.
11 Why? because I love you not? God knoweth.
And why? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do.
12 But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them who desire occasion; that in what they glory, they may be found even as we.
But I will persist in the same line of conduct in order to cut the ground from under the feet of those who desire an opportunity of getting themselves recognized as being on a level with us in the matters about which they boast.
13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.
For men of this stamp are sham apostles, dishonest workmen, assuming the garb of Apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
And no wonder. Satan, their master, can disguise himself as an angel of light.
15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also are transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
It is therefore no great thing for his servants also to disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be in accordance with their actions.
16 I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.
To return to what I was saying. Let no one suppose that I am foolish. Or if you must, at any rate make allowance for me as being foolish, in order that I, as well as they, may boast a little.
17 That which I speak, I speak it not according to the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.
What I am now saying, I do not say by the Lord's command, but as a fool in his folly might, in this reckless boasting.
18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
Since many boast for merely human reasons, I too will boast.
19 For ye bear with fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.
Wise as you yourselves are, you find pleasure in tolerating fools.
20 For ye bear with it, if a man bringeth you into bondage, if a man devoureth you, if a man taketh from you, if a man exalteth himself, if a man smiteth you on the face.
For you tolerate it, if any one enslaves you, lives at your expense, makes off with your property, gives himself airs, or strikes you on the face.
21 I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. But in whatever respect any is bold, (I speak foolishly, ) I am bold also.
I use the language of self-disparagement, as though I were admitting our own feebleness. Yet for whatever reason any one is 'courageous' --I speak in mere folly--I also am courageous.
22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? 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 ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool ) I am more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often.
Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as if I were out of my mind.) Much more am I His servant; serving Him more thoroughly than they by my labours, and more thoroughly also by my imprisonments, by excessively cruel floggings, and with risk of life many a time.
24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes less one.
From the Jews I five times have received forty lashes all but one.
25 Three times was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;
Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods, once I have been stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked, once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea.
26 In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
I have served Him by frequent travelling, amid dangers in crossing rivers, dangers from robbers; dangers from my own countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles; dangers in the city, dangers in the Desert, dangers by sea, dangers from spies in our midst;
27 In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
with labour and toil, with many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, in frequent fastings, in cold, and with insufficient clothing.
28 Besides those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.
And besides other things, which I pass over, there is that which presses on me daily--my anxiety for all the Churches.
29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is led into sin, and I am not incensed?
Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led astray into sin, and I am not aflame with indignation?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my infirmities.
If boast I must, it shall be of things which display my weakness.
31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not. (aiōn g165)
The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ--He who is blessed throughout the Ages--knows that I am speaking the truth. (aiōn g165)
32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:
In Damascus the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the gates of the city in order to apprehend me,
33 And through a window in a basket I was let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.
but through an opening in the wall I was let down in a basket, and so escaped his hands.
