2 Corinthians 10–13

Now I Paul myself ^abeseech you by the ^aameekness and ^bgentleness of Christ, ^cwho ^din presence am ^ddbase among you, but being absent am bold toward you: ²but I beseech you, ^ethat I may not be bold when I am present with that confidence, wherewith I think to be bold against ^fsome, which think of us as if we walked ^gaccording to the flesh. ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war ^gafter the flesh: ⁴(for ^hthe ⁱweapons of our ^kwarfare are not carnal, but ^lmighty through God ^mto the ⁿpulling down of ^ostrong holds;) ^5pcasting down imaginations, and ^qevery high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every ^rthought to ^sthe obedience of Christ; ⁶and ^ehaving in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, ^twhen your obedience is fulfilled.

^7uDo ye look on things after the outward appearance? ^vIf any man trust to himself that he is Christ’s, let him of himself think this again, that, as ^whe is Christ’s, even so are ^xwe Christ’s. ⁸For though I should ^yboast somewhat more of ^zour authority, which the Lord hath given us for ^zzedification, and not for your ⁿdestruction, ^aI should not be ashamed: ⁹that I may not seem as if I would terrify you by letters. ¹⁰For his letters, say they, are ^bweighty and powerful; but ^chis bodily presence is weak, and ^dhis speech contemptible. ¹¹Let such a one think this, that, such as we are in word by letters when we are absent, such will we be also in deed when we are present.

¹²For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or ^ecompare ourselves with some that ^fcommend themselves: but ^gthey measuring themselves by themselves, and ^ecomparing themselves amongst themselves, are not wise. ¹³But we will not ^hboast of things without our measure, but according to ⁱthe measure of the rule which God hath distributed to us, a measure to reach even unto you. ¹⁴For we stretch not ourselves beyond our measure, as though we reached not unto you: for ^kwe are ^lcome as far as to you also in preaching the gospel of Christ: ¹⁵not ^hboasting of things without our measure, that is, ^mof other men’s labours; but having hope, when your faith is increased, that we shall be enlarged by you according to our rule abundantly, ¹⁶to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast ^min another man’s line of things made ready to our hand. ¹⁷But ⁿhe that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. ¹⁸For ^gnot he that ^fcommendeth himself is ^oapproved, but ^pwhom the Lord commendeth.

XI.Would to God you could ^abear with me a little in ^bmy folly: and indeed ^abear with me. ²For I am ^cjealous over you with godly jealousy: for ^dI have espoused you to one husband, ^efthat I may present you ^fas a chaste virgin to Christ. ³But I fear, lest by any means, as ^gthe serpent ^hbeguiled Eve through his ⁱsubtilty, so your ^jminds ^kshould be corrupted from the ^lsimplicity that is in Christ. ⁴For if ^mhe that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or ⁿanother gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well ^abear with him. ⁵For I ^osuppose I was ^pnot a whit behind the very ^qchiefest apostles. ⁶But ^rthough I be ^srude in speech, ^tyet not in knowledge; but ^ttwe have been throughly made manifest among you in all things. ⁷Have I committed ^uan offence in ^vabasing myself that you might be exalted, because ^wI have preached to you the gospel of God ^xfreely? ⁸I robbed other churches, taking ^ywages of them, to do you service. ⁹And when I was present with you, and wanted, ^xzI was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me ^athe brethren which came from ^bMacedonia supplied: and in all things ^cI have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so will I keep myself. ^10dAs the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this ^fboasting in the ^gregions of ^hAchaia. ¹¹Wherefore? ⁱbecause I love you not? ^kGod knoweth. ¹²But what I do, that I will do, ^lthat I may cut off ^moccasion from them which desire ^moccasion; that wherein they glory, ⁿthey may be found even as we. ¹³For ^osuch are ^pfalse apostles, ^qdeceitful workers, ^rtransforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no marvel; for ^sSatan himself is ^rtransformed into ^tan angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if ^uhis ministers also be ^rtransformed as ^vthe ministers of righteousness; ^wwhose end shall be according to their works.

¹⁶I ^xsay again, ^yLet no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool ^zreceive me, that I may boast myself a little. ¹⁷That which I speak, ^aI speak it not after the Lord, but as it were ⁿfoolishly, ^bin this confidence of boasting. ¹⁸Seeing that many glory ^cafter the flesh, ^dI will glory also. ¹⁹For ^eye suffer fools gladly, ^fseeing ye yourselves are wise. ²⁰For ^eye suffer, if a man ^gbring you into bondage, ^hif a man devour you, if a man ⁱtake of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man ^ksmite you on the face. ²¹I speak as concerning ^lreproach, ^mas though we had been weak. Howbeit ^dwhereinsoever any is bold, (I speak ⁿfoolishly,) I am bold also. ²²Are they ^oHebrews? so am I. Are they ^pIsraelites? so am I. Are they ^qthe seed of Abraham? so am I. ²³Are they ^rministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more; ^stin labours more abundant, ^tuin stripes above measure, ^tvin prisons more frequent, ^win deaths oft. ^24xOf the Jews five times received I ^yforty stripes save one. ²⁵Thrice was I ^zbeaten with rods, ^aonce was I stoned, thrice I ^bsuffered shipwrack, a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶in journeyings often, in ^cperils of waters, in perils of ^drobbers, in ^cperils ^eby my own countrymen, in perils ^fby the heathen, in perils ^gin the city, in perils in ^ggthe wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among ^hfalse brethren; ²⁷ⁱin ^jweariness and ^jpainfulness, ⁱin watchings often, ^klin hunger and ^kthirst, ⁱin ^mfastings often, in cold and ^knakedness. ²⁸Besides those things that are without, ⁿthat which cometh upon me daily, ^othe care of ^pall the churches. ^29qWho is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not? ³⁰If I must needs glory, ^rI will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities. ^31sThe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^twhich is blessed for evermore, ^uknoweth that I lie not. ^32vIn Damascus ^wthe governor under ^xAretas the king ^ykept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me: ³³and ^zthrough ^aa window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

XII.It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to ^avisions and ^brevelations of the Lord. ²I knew a man ^cin Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: ^dGod knoweth;) ^esuch a one ^fcaught up to ^gthe third heaven. ³And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: ^dGod knoweth;) ⁴how that he was ^fcaught up into ^hparadise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not ⁱlawful for a man to utter. ⁵Of such a one will I glory: yet ^kof myself I will not glory, ^lbut in mine infirmities. ⁶For though I would desire to glory, ^mI shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now ⁿI forbear, lest any man should ^othink of me above that which he seeth me to be, or that he heareth of me. ⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the ^brevelations, ^lthere was given to me ^pa thorn in the flesh, ^qthe messenger of ^rSatan to ^sbuffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. ⁸For this thing I besought the Lord ^tthrice, that it might depart from me. ⁹And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for ^umy strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore ^kwill I rather glory in my infirmities, that ^vthe power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰Therefore ^lI ^wtake pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in ^xznecessities, in ^ypersecutions, in ^zdistresses for Christ’s sake: ^afor when I am weak, then am I strong. ^11bI am become a fool in glorying; ye have compelled me: for I ought to have been ^ccommended of you: for ^din nothing am I behind the very chiefest apostles, ^ethough I be nothing. ¹²Truly ^fthe signs of ^gan apostle were wrought among you ^hin all patience, ^fin ⁱsigns, and ⁱwonders, and mighty deeds. ¹³For ^jwhat is it wherein ye were inferior to other churches, except it be that ^kI myself ^lwas not burdensome to you? forgive me ^mthis wrong.

¹⁴Behold, ⁿthe third time I am ready to come to you; and ^lI will not be burdensome to you: for ^oI seek not yours, but you: for ^pthe children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ¹⁵And ^qI will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though ^rthe more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. ¹⁶But be it so, I did not ^sburden you: nevertheless, being ^tcrafty, I caught you with guile. ¹⁷Did I ^umake a gain of you ^vby any of them whom I sent unto you? ^18wI desired Titus, and with him I sent ^xa brother. Did Titus ^umake a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in ^xxthe same steps?

^19yAgain, think you that we excuse ourselves unto you? ^zwe speak before God in Christ: but we do ^aall things, dearly beloved, for your ^bedifying. ²⁰For I fear, lest, ^cwhen I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that ^cI shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be ^ddebates, ^denvyings, ^dwraths, ^dstrifes, ^ebackbitings, ^fwhisperings, swellings, ^gtumults: ²¹and lest, ^hwhen I come again, my God will humble me among you, and that I shall bewail many ⁱwhich have sinned already, and have not repented of the ^juncleanness and ^jkfornication and ^jllasciviousness which they have committed.

XIII.This is ^athe third time I am coming to you. ^bIn the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established. ^2cI told you before, and foretell you, as if I were present ^athe second time; and being absent now I write to them ^dwhich heretofore have sinned, and to all other, that, if I come again, ^eI will not ^fspare: ³since ye seek ^ga proof…