2 Corinthians 11

Paul and His Opponents

1 I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me!2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband,t to present you as a puret virgin to Christ.3 But I am afraid thatt just as the serpentt deceived Eve by his treachery,t your minds may be led astrayt from a sincere and puresss devotion to Christ.4 For if someone comes and proclaimst another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed,t or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received,t or a different gospel than the one you accepted,t you put up with it well enough!t5 For I consider myself not at all inferior to those “super-apostles.”ts6 And even if I am unskilleds in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way.7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myselfs so that you could be exalted, because I proclaimedt the gospel of God to you free of charge?8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you!s9 Whent I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs.t It kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so.10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of minet will not be stoppedt in the regions of Achaia.11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!t12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equalst in the things they boast about.13 For such people are false apostles, deceitfult workers, disguising themselvest as apostles of Christ.14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himselft as an angel of light.

15 Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselvest as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.t

Paul’s Sufferings for Christ

16 I say again, let no one think that I am a fool.t But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.17 What I am saying with this boastful confidencet I do not say the way the Lord would.t Instead it is, as it were, foolishness.18 Since manys are boasting according to human standards,t I too will boast.19 For since you are so wise, you put up witht fools gladly.20 For you put up witht it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantlyt toward you, if someone strikes you in the face.21 (To my disgracet I must say that we were too weak for that!)s But whatever anyone else dares to boast aboutt (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.t22 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 like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times.24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one.t25 Three times I was beaten with a rod.s Once I received a stoning.s Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea.26 I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers,t in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness,t in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers,27 in hard work and toil,t through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.t28 Apart from other things,s there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concernt for all the churches.29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin,t and I do not burn with indignation?30 If I must boast,t I will boast about the things that show my weakness.t31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying.32 In Damascus, the governorts under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascust in order to arrestt me,

33 but I was let down in a rope-baskett through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands.

2 Corinthians 11

Paul and the False Apostles

1 I wish you would tolerate me, even when I am a bit foolish. Please do! 2 I am jealous for you, just as God is; you are like a pure virgin whom I have promised in marriage to one man only, Christ himself. 3 I am afraid that your minds will be corrupted and that you will abandon your full and pure devotion to Christ—in the same way that Eve was deceived by the snake's clever lies.

4 For you gladly tolerate anyone who comes to you and preaches a different Jesus, not the one we preached; and you accept a spirit and a gospel completely different from the Spirit and the gospel you received from us!
5 I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called “apostles” of yours!

6 Perhaps I am an amateur in speaking, but certainly not in knowledge; we have made this clear to you at all times and in all conditions.
7 I did not charge you a thing when I preached the Good News of God to you; I humbled myself in order to make you important. Was that wrong of me? 8 While I was working among you, I was paid by other churches. I was robbing them, so to speak, in order to help you. 9 And during the time I was with you I did not bother you for help when I needed money; the believers who came from Macedonia brought me everything I needed. As in the past, so in the future: I will never be a burden to you! 10 By Christ's truth in me, I promise that this boast of mine will not be silenced anywhere in all of Achaia.

11 Do I say this because I don't love you? God knows I love you!
12 I will go on doing what I am doing now, in order to keep those other “apostles” from having any reason for boasting and saying that they work in the same way that we do. 13 Those men are not true apostles—they are false apostles, who lie about their work and disguise themselves to look like real apostles of Christ. 14 Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!

15 So it is no great thing if his servants disguise themselves to look like servants of righteousness. In the end they will get exactly what their actions deserve.

Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle

16 I repeat: no one should think that I am a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, just so I will have a little to boast of. 17 Of course what I am saying now is not what the Lord would have me say; in this matter of boasting I am really talking like a fool. 18 But since there are so many who boast for merely human reasons, I will do the same. 19 You yourselves are so wise, and so you gladly tolerate fools! 20 You tolerate anyone who orders you around or takes advantage of you or traps you or looks down on you or slaps you in the face. 21 I am ashamed to admit that we were too timid to do those things! But if anyone dares to boast about something—I am talking like a fool—I will be just as daring. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham's descendants? So am I. 23 Are they Christ's servants? I sound like a madman—but I am a better servant than they are! I have worked much harder, I have been in prison more times, I have been whipped much more, and I have been near death more often. 24 Five times I was given the thirty-nine lashes by the Jews; 25 three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water. 26 In my many travels I have been in danger from floods and from robbers, in danger from my own people and from Gentiles; there have been dangers in the cities, dangers in the wilds, dangers on the high seas, and dangers from false friends. 27 There has been work and toil; often I have gone without sleep; I have been hungry and thirsty; I have often been without enough food, shelter, or clothing. 28 And not to mention other things, every day I am under the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

29 When someone is weak, then I feel weak too; when someone is led into sin, I am filled with distress.
30 If I must boast, I will boast about things that show how weak I am. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—blessed be his name forever!—knows that I am not lying. 32 When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas placed guards at the city gates to arrest me.

33 But I was let down in a basket through an opening in the wall and escaped from him.