2 Corinthians 11

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.