2 Corinthians 10–13

Paul’s Apostolic Authority

10Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person but bold toward you when absent. ²I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are behaving in an unspiritual way. ^pq3For though we live in the body, ^rwe do not wage war in an unspiritual way, ^s4since the weapons of our warfare ^tare not worldly, ^ubut are powerful ^vthrough God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments ⁵and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge ^wof God, taking every thought captive to obey Christ. ⁶And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience has been confirmed.

⁷Look at what is obvious. ^xIf anyone is confident that he belongs to Christ, ^yhe should remind himself of this: Just as he belongs to Christ, so do we. ⁸For if I boast some more about our authority, which the Lord gave for building you up ^zand not for tearing you down, I am not ashamed. ⁹I don’t want to seem as though I am trying to terrify you with my letters. ¹⁰For it is said, “His letters are weighty and powerful, but his physical presence is weak, and his public speaking is despicable.” ¹¹Such a person should consider this: What we are in the words of our letters when absent, we will be in actions when present.

¹²For we don’t dare classify or compare ourselves with some who commend ^athemselves. But in measuring themselves by themselves and comparing themselves to themselves, ^bthey lack understanding. ^c13We, however, will not boast beyond measure but according to the measure of the area of ministry that God has assigned ^dto us, which reaches even to you. ¹⁴For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we had not reached you, since we have come to you with the gospel of Christ. ¹⁵We are not bragging beyond measure about other people’s labors. But we have the hope ^ethat as your faith increases, our area of ministry will be greatly enlarged, ¹⁶so that we may proclaim the good news to the regions beyond you, ^fnot boasting about what has already been done in someone else’s area of ministry. ^g17So the one who boasts must boast in the Lord. ^hi18For it is not the one commending himself who is approved, but the one the Lord commends. ^j

Paul and the False Apostles

11I wish you would put up with a little foolishness ^kfrom me. Yes, do put up with me. ^l2For I am jealous ^mover you with a godly jealousy, ⁿbecause I have promised you in marriage to one husband—to present a pure ^ovirgin to Christ. ³But I fear that, as the serpent ^pdeceived ^qEve ^rby his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a complete and pure ^sdevotion to Christ. ^t4For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus, ^uwhom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit, ^vwhich you had not received, or a different gospel, ^wwhich you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!

⁵Now I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles.” ^x6Though untrained in public speaking, ^yI am certainly not untrained in knowledge. ^zIndeed, we have always made that clear to you in everything. ⁷Or did I commit a sin by humbling ^amyself so that you might be exalted, ^bbecause I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? ^c8I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you. ⁹When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia ^dsupplied my needs. ^eI have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way. ¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped ^fin the regions of Achaia. ^g11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!

¹²But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny ^hthe opportunity of those who want an opportunity to be regarded just as our equals in what they boast about. ¹³For such people are false apostles, ⁱdeceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their destiny ^jwill be according to their works. ^k

Paul’s Sufferings for Christ

¹⁶I repeat: No one should consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool, so I too may boast a little. ¹⁷What I say in this matter ^lof boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but foolishly. ¹⁸Since many boast in an unspiritual way, ^mI will also boast. ¹⁹For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools! ⁿ²⁰In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours ^oyou, if someone captures you, if someone dominates you, or if someone hits ^pyou in the face. ²¹I say this to our shame: We have been weak.

But in whatever anyone dares to boast—I am talking foolishly—I also dare:

²²Are they Hebrews? ^qSo am I.

Are they Israelites? So am I.

Are they the seed of Abraham? ^rSo am I.

²³Are they servants of Christ?

I’m talking like a madman—I’m a better one:

with far more labors,

many more imprisonments,

far worse beatings, near death ^smany times.

²⁴Five times I received 39 lashes from Jews. ^t

²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods by the Romans. ^u

Once I was stoned by my enemies. ^vw

Three times I was shipwrecked. ^x

I have spent a night and a day

in the open sea.

²⁶On frequent journeys, I faced

dangers from rivers,

dangers from robbers, ^y

dangers from my own people, ^z

dangers from the Gentiles,

dangers in the city,

dangers in the open country,

dangers on the sea,

and dangers among false brothers;

²⁷labor and hardship,

many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst,

often without food, cold, and lacking clothing. ^a

²⁸Not to mention ^bother things, there is the daily pressure on me: my care for all the churches. ²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, ^cand I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. ³¹The God and Father ^dof the Lord Jesus, who is praised forever, knows I am not lying. ³²In Damascus, ^ethe governor under King Aretas ^fguarded the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me, ³³so I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands. ^g

Sufficient Grace

12Boasting is necessary. It is not profitable, but I will move on to visions ^hand revelations ⁱof the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ who was caught up ^jinto the third heaven 14 years ago. Whether he was in the body or out of the body, I don’t know, God knows. ³I know that this man—whether in the body or out of the body I don’t know, God knows— ⁴was caught up into paradise. ^kHe heard inexpressible words, which a man is not allowed to speak. ⁵I will boast about this person, but not about myself, except of my weaknesses. ⁶For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, because I will be telling the truth. ^lBut I will spare you, so that no one can credit me with something beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, ⁷especially because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not exalt myself, a thorn in the flesh ^mwas given to me, a messenger ⁿof Satan ^oto torment me so I would not exalt myself. ⁸Concerning this, I pleaded with the Lord three times to take it away from me. ⁹But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power ^pqis perfected in weakness.” ^rTherefore, I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, catastrophes, persecutions, and in pressures, because of Christ. ^sFor when I am weak, then I am strong. ^t

Signs of an Apostle

¹¹I have become a fool; you forced it on me. I should have been endorsed by you, since I am not in any way inferior to the “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. ^u12The signs ^vof an apostle ^wwere performed with great endurance among you—not only signs but also wonders ^xand miracles. ^y13So in what way were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I personally did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹⁴Now I am ready to come to you this third time. ^zI will not burden you, for I am not seeking what is yours, but you. For children are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵I will most gladly spend and be spent for you. ^abIf I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶Now granted, I have not burdened ^cyou; yet sly as I am, I took you in by deceit! ^d17Did I take advantage of you by anyone I sent you? ¹⁸I urged Titus ^eto come, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Didn’t we walk in the same spirit ^fand in the same footsteps?

¹⁹You have thought all along that we were defending ourselves to you. ^gNo, in the sight of God we are speaking in Christ, and everything, dear friends, is for building you up. ^h20For I fear that perhaps when I come I will not find you to be what I want, and I may not be found by you to be what you want; ⁱthere may be quarreling, ^jjealousy, ^koutbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, ^lslander, ^mgossip, arrogance, and disorder. ⁿ²¹I fear that when I come my God will again ^ohumiliate me in your presence, and I will grieve for many who sinned before and have not repented ^pof the moral impurity, sexual immorality, ^qand promiscuity ^rthey practiced.

Final Warnings and Exhortations

13This is the third time I am coming to you. ^sEvery fact must be established by the testimony ^tof two or three witnesses. ^uv2I gave a warning when I was present the second time, and now I give a warning ^wwhile I am absent to those who sinned before and to all the rest: If I come again, I will not be lenient, ³since you seek proof of Christ speaking in me. ^xHe is not weak toward you, but powerful among you. ⁴In fact, He was crucified ^yin weakness, but He lives ^zby God’s power. For we also are weak in Him, ^ayet toward you we will live ^bwith Him by God’s power.

⁵Test ^c…