Chapter 11

Paul Defends His Apostleship

1 I wish that you would abear with me in a little bfoolishness; but 1indeed you are bearing with me.

2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I abetrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might bpresent you as a pure virgin.

3 But I am afraid that, as the aserpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

4 For if 1one comes and preaches aanother Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a bdifferent spirit which you have not received, or a cdifferent gospel which you have not accepted, you dbear this ebeautifully.

5 For I consider myself anot in the least inferior to the 1most eminent apostles.

6 But even if I am aunskilled in speech, yet I am not so in bknowledge; in fact, in every way we have cmade this evident to you in all things.

7 Or adid I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the bgospel of God to you cwithout charge?

8 I robbed other churches by ataking wages from them to serve you;

9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was anot a burden to anyone; for when bthe brethren came from cMacedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from abeing a burden to you, 1and will continue to do so.

10 aAs the truth of Christ is in me, bthis boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of cAchaia.

11 Why? aBecause I do not love you? bGod knows I do!

12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, aso that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be 1regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting.

13 For such men are afalse apostles, bdeceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

14 No wonder, for even aSatan disguises himself as an bangel of light.

15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, awhose end will be according to their deeds.

16 aAgain I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little.

17 What I am saying, I am not saying 1aas the Lord would, but as bin foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

18 Since amany boast baccording to the flesh, I will boast also.

19 For you, abeing so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly.

20 For you tolerate it if anyone aenslaves you, anyone bdevours you, anyone ctakes advantage of you, anyone dexalts himself, anyone ehits you in the face.

21 To my ashame I must say that we have been bweak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else cis bold—I dspeak in foolishness—I am just as bold myself.

22 Are they aHebrews? bSo am I. Are they cIsraelites? cSo am I. Are they 1ddescendants of Abraham? eSo am I.

23 Are they aservants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in 1bfar more labors, in 1cfar more imprisonments, 2dbeaten times without number, often in edanger of death.

24 Five times I received from the Jews athirty-nine lashes.

25 Three times I was abeaten with rods, once I was bstoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my acountrymen, dangers from the bGentiles, dangers in the ccity, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among dfalse brethren;

27 I have been in alabor and hardship, 1through many sleepless nights, in bhunger and thirst, often cwithout food, in cold and 2dexposure.

28 Apart from such 1external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for aall the churches.

29 Who is aweak without my being weak? Who is 1led into sin 2without my intense concern?

30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my aweakness.

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, aHe who is blessed forever, bknows that I am not lying.

32 In aDamascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was bguarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,

33 and I was let down in a basket athrough a window 1in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Chapter 12

Paul’s Vision

1 aBoasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and brevelations 1of the Lord.

2 I know a man ain Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, bGod knows—such a man was ccaught up to the dthird heaven.

3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, aGod knows—

4 was acaught up into bParadise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak.

5 aOn behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my bweaknesses.

6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be afoolish, bfor I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the arevelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a bthorn in the flesh, a cmessenger of Satan to 1torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!

8 Concerning this I implored the Lord athree times that it might leave me.

9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for apower is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather bboast 1about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

10 Therefore aI am well content with weaknesses, with 1insults, with bdistresses, with cpersecutions, with bdifficulties, dfor Christ’s sake; for ewhen I am weak, then I am strong.

11 I have become afoolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for bin no respect was I inferior to the 1most eminent apostles, even though cI am a nobody.

12 The 1asigns 2of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by 1signs and wonders and 3miracles.

13 For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that aI myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me bthis wrong!

14 Here afor this third time I am ready to come to you, and I bwill not be a burden to you; for I cdo not seek what is yours, but dyou; for echildren are not responsible to save up for their parents, but fparents for their children.

15 I will amost gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If bI love you more, am I to be loved less?

16 But be that as it may, I adid not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I btook you in by deceit.

17 aCertainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I?

18 I aurged bTitus to go, and I sent cthe brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not 1conduct ourselves 2in the same dspirit and walk ein the same steps?

19 All this time 1you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, ait is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and ball for your upbuilding, cbeloved.

20 For I am afraid that perhaps awhen I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be bstrife, jealousy, cangry tempers, ddisputes, eslanders, fgossip, garrogance, hdisturbances;

21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have asinned in the past and not repented of the bimpurity, 1immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

Chapter 13

Examine Yourselves

1 aThis is the third time I am coming to you. bEvery 1fact 2is to be confirmed by the 3testimony of two or three witnesses.

2 I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have asinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that bif I come again I will not cspare anyone,

3 since you are aseeking for proof of the bChrist who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but cmighty in you.

4 For indeed He was acrucified because of weakness, yet He lives bbecause of the power of God. For we also are cweak 1in Him, yet dwe will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

5 aTest yourselves to see if you are in the faith; bexamine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you 1cfail the test?

6 But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves 1do not fail the test.

7 Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may 1appear unapproved.

8 For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth.

9 For we rejoice when we ourselves are aweak but you are strong; this we also pray for, 1that you be bmade complete.

10 For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present aI need not use bseverity, in accordance with the cauthority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

11 aFinally, brethren, 1rejoice, 2bbe made complete, be comforted, cbe like-minded, dlive in peace; and ethe God of love and peace will be with you.

12 aGreet one another with a holy kiss.

13 aAll the 1saints greet you.

14 aThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the blove of God, and the cfellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.