2 Corinthians 10–13

The Spiritual War

10Now ^aI, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—^bwho in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. ²But I beg you ^cthat when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. ³For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. ^4dFor the weapons ^eof our warfare are not ¹carnal but ^fmighty in God ^gfor pulling down strongholds, ^5hcasting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, ⁶ⁱand being ready to punish all disobedience when ^jyour obedience is fulfilled.

Reality of Paul’s Authority

^7kDo you look at things according to the outward appearance? ^lIf anyone is convinced in himself that he is Christ’s, let him again consider this in himself, that just as he is Christ’s, even ²so ^mwe are Christ’s. ⁸For even if I should boast somewhat more ⁿabout our authority, which the Lord gave ³us for ⁴edification and not for your destruction, ^oI shall not be ashamed—⁹lest I seem to terrify you by letters. ¹⁰“For his letters,” they say, “are weighty and powerful, but ^phis bodily presence is weak, and his ^qspeech contemptible.” ¹¹Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when we are absent, such we will also be in deed when we are present.

Limits of Paul’s Authority

^12rFor we dare not class ourselves or compare ourselves with those who commend themselves. But they, measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise. ^13sWe, however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us—a sphere which especially includes you. ¹⁴For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), ^tfor it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; ¹⁵not boasting of things beyond measure, that is, ^uin other men’s labors, but having hope, that as your faith is increased, we shall be greatly enlarged by you in our sphere, ¹⁶to preach the gospel in the regions beyond you, and not to boast in another man’s sphere of accomplishment.

¹⁷But ^v“he who glories, let him glory in the Lord.” ¹⁸For ^wnot he who commends himself is approved, but ^xwhom the Lord commends.

Concern for Their Faithfulness

11Oh, that you would bear with me in a little ^afolly—and indeed you do bear with me. ²For I am ^bjealous for you with godly jealousy. For ^cI have betrothed you to one husband, ^dthat I may present you ^eas a chaste virgin to Christ. ³But I fear, lest somehow, as ^fthe serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds ^gmay be corrupted from the ¹simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a ^hdifferent gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!

Paul and False Apostles

⁵For I consider that ⁱI am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. ⁶Even though ^jI am untrained in speech, yet I am not ^kin knowledge. But ^lwe have ²been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.

⁷Did I commit sin in ³humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you ^mfree of charge? ⁸I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. ⁹And when I was present with you, and in need, ⁿI was a burden to no one, for what I lacked ^othe brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. ^10pAs the truth of Christ is in me, ^qno one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹Why? ^rBecause I do not love you? God knows!

¹²But what I do, I will also continue to do, ^sthat I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. ¹³For such ^tare false apostles, ^udeceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into ^van angel of light. ¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, ^wwhose end will be according to their works.

Reluctant Boasting

¹⁶I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. ¹⁷What I speak, ^xI speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. ¹⁸Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. ¹⁹For you put up with fools gladly, ^ysince you yourselves are wise! ²⁰For you put up with it ^zif one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. ²¹To our shame ^aI say that we were too weak for that! But ^bin whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.

Suffering for Christ

²²Are they ^cHebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. ²³Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: ^din labors more abundant, ^ein stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, ^fin deaths often. ²⁴From the Jews five times I received ^gforty ^hstripes minus one. ²⁵Three times I was ⁱbeaten with rods; ^jonce I was stoned; three times I ^kwas shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; ²⁶in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, ^lin perils of my own countrymen, ^min perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; ²⁷in weariness and toil, ⁿin sleeplessness often, ^oin hunger and thirst, in ^pfastings often, in cold and nakedness—²⁸besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: ^qmy deep concern for all the churches. ^29rWho is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?

³⁰If I must boast, ^sI will boast in the things which concern my ⁴infirmity. ^31tThe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, ^uwho is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. ^32vIn Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; ³³but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.

The Vision of Paradise

12It is ¹doubtless not profitable for me to boast. I will come to ^avisions and ^brevelations of the Lord: ²I know a man ^cin Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or whether out of the body I do not know, God knows—such a one ^dwas caught up to the third heaven. ³And I know such a man—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows—⁴how he was caught up into ^eParadise and heard inexpressible words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter. ⁵Of such a one I will boast; yet of myself I will not ^fboast, except in my infirmities. ⁶For though I might desire to boast, I will not be a fool; for I will speak the truth. But I refrain, lest anyone should think of me above what he sees me to be or hears from me.

The Thorn in the Flesh

⁷And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a ^gthorn in the flesh was given to me, ^ha messenger of Satan to ²buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. ⁸ⁱConcerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. ⁹And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly ^jI will rather boast in my infirmities, ^kthat the power of Christ may rest upon me. ¹⁰Therefore ^lI take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. ^mFor when I am weak, then I am strong.

Signs of an Apostle

¹¹I have become ⁿa fool ³in boasting; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you; for ^oin nothing was I behind the most eminent apostles, though ^pI am nothing. ^12qTruly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and ^rwonders and mighty ^sdeeds. ¹³For what is it in which you were inferior to other churches, except that I myself was not burdensome to you? Forgive me this wrong!

Love for the Church

^14tNow for the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be burdensome to you; for ^uI do not seek yours, but you. ^vFor the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children. ¹⁵And I will very gladly spend and be spent ^wfor your souls; though ^xthe more abundantly I love you, the less I am loved.

¹⁶But be that as it may, ^yI did not burden you. Nevertheless, being crafty, I caught you by cunning! ¹⁷Did I take advantage of you by any of those whom I sent to you? ¹⁸I urged Titus, and sent our ^zbrother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not walk in the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps?

^19aAgain, ⁴do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? ^bWe speak before God in Christ. ^cBut we do all things, beloved, for your edification. ²⁰For I fear lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I wish, and that ^dI shall be found by you such as you do not wish; lest there be contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, backbitings, whisperings, conceits, tumults; ²¹lest, when I come again, my God ^ewill humble me among you, and I shall mourn for many ^fwho have sinned before and have not repented of the uncleanness, ^gfornication, and lewdness which they have practiced.

Coming with Authority

13This will be ^athe third time I am coming to you. ^b“By the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established.” ^2cI have told you before, and foretell as if I were present the second time, and now being absent ¹I write to those ^dwho have sinned before, and to all the rest, that if I come again ^eI will not…