2 Corinthians 11

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