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?

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Cross references

n ch. 13. 1. Comp. ch. 1. 15. & 13. 2.
l ch. 11. 9 (Gk.).
oSee Acts 20. 33. So 1 Cor. 10. 33.
p 1 Cor. 4. 14, 15. Comp. Prov. 19. 14.
qComp. ch. 1. 6. Col. 1. 24. 1 Thess. 2. 8. 2 Tim. 2. 10.
rSee ch. 11. 11
sSee ch. 11. 9.
tSee Luke 20. 23.
u ver. 18. See ch. 7. 2.
vComp. ch. 9. 5.

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In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Here for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. Did I take advantage of you through any of those whom I sent to you?

NIVNew International Version (2011)

Now I am ready to visit you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you, because what I want is not your possessions but you. After all, children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well. If I love you more, will you love me less? Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you. Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you?

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Look, I am ready to come to you this third time. I will not burden you, since I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children ought not save up for their parents, but parents for their children. I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. If I love you more, am I to be loved less? Now granted, I did not burden you; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit! Did I take advantage of you by any of those I sent you?

NLTNew Living Translation

Now I am coming to you for the third time, and I will not be a burden to you. I don’t want what you have—I want you. After all, children don’t provide for their parents. Rather, parents provide for their children. I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you, even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me.

Some of you admit I was not a burden to you. But others still think I was sneaky and took advantage of you by trickery. But how? Did any of the men I sent to you take advantage of you?

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Behold, this third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you. For I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. But I will spend and be expended most gladly for your lives. If I love you much more, am I to be loved less? But let it be. I have not been a burden to you, but because I was crafty, I took you by cunning. I have not taken advantage of you through anyone whom I sent to you, have I?

KJV 1900King James Version

Behold, the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be burdensome to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you; though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved. But be it so, I did not burden you: nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you with guile. Did I make a gain of you by any of them whom I sent unto you?

Public Domain