2 Corinthians 10–13

Paul’s Defense of His Ministry

10By the humility and gentleness^a of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,^b who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! ²I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold^c as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.^{d 3}For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.^{e 4}The weapons we fight with^f are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power^g to demolish strongholds.^{h 5}We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,ⁱ and we take captive every thought to make it obedient^j to Christ. ⁶And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.^k

⁷You are judging by appearances.^al If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,^m they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.^{n 8}So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us^o for building you up rather than tearing you down,^p I will not be ashamed of it. ⁹I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. ¹⁰For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive^q and his speaking amounts to nothing.”^{r 11}Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.

¹²We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.^s When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. ¹³We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,^t a sphere that also includes you. ¹⁴We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you^u with the gospel of Christ.^{v 15}Neither do we go beyond our limits^w by boasting of work done by others.^x Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,^y our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, ¹⁶so that we can preach the gospel^z in the regions beyond you.^a For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”^{bb 18}For it is not the one who commends himself^c who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.^d

Paul and the False Apostles

11I hope you will put up with^e me in a little foolishness.^f Yes, please put up with me! ²I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,^g to Christ, so that I might present you^h as a pure virgin to him. ³But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,ⁱ your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. ⁴For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,^j or if you receive a different spirit^k from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel^l from the one you accepted, you put up with it^m easily enough.

⁵I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”^{an 6}I may indeed be untrained as a speaker,^o but I do have knowledge.^p We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. ⁷Was it a sin^q for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God^r to you free of charge?^{s 8}I robbed other churches by receiving support from them^t so as to serve you. ⁹And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.^u I have kept myself from being a burden to you^v in any way, and will continue to do so. ¹⁰As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,^w nobody in the regions of Achaia^x will stop this boasting^y of mine. ¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows^z I do!^a

¹²And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. ¹³For such people are false apostles,^b deceitful^c workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.^{d 14}And no wonder, for Satan^e himself masquerades as an angel of light. ¹⁵It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.^f

Paul Boasts About His Sufferings

¹⁶I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.^g But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. ¹⁷In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,^h but as a fool.^{i 18}Since many are boasting in the way the world does,^j I too will boast.^{k 19}You gladly put up with^l fools since you are so wise!^{m 20}In fact, you even put up withⁿ anyone who enslaves you^o or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. ²¹To my shame I admit that we were too weak^p for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.^{q 22}Are they Hebrews? So am I.^r Are they Israelites? So am I.^s Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.^{t 23}Are they servants of Christ?^u (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,^v been in prison more frequently,^w been flogged more severely,^x and been exposed to death again and again.^{y 24}Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes^z minus one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods,^a once I was pelted with stones,^b three times I was shipwrecked,^c I spent a night and a day in the open sea, ²⁶I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,^d in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,^e in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.^{f 27}I have labored and toiled^g and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;^h I have been cold and naked. ²⁸Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.^{i 29}Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?^j Who is led into sin,^k and I do not inwardly burn?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast^l of the things that show my weakness.^{m 31}The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,ⁿ knows^o that I am not lying. ³²In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.^{p 33}But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.^q

Paul’s Vision and His Thorn

12I must go on boasting.^r Although there is nothing to be gained, I will go on to visions and revelations^s from the Lord. ²I know a man in Christ^t who fourteen years ago was caught up^u to the third heaven.^v Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know—God knows.^{w 3}And I know that this man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, but God knows—⁴was caught up^x to paradise^y and heard inexpressible things, things that no one is permitted to tell. ⁵I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses.^{z 6}Even if I should choose to boast,^a I would not be a fool,^b because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will think more of me than is warranted by what I do or say, ⁷or because of these surpassingly great revelations.^c Therefore, in order to keep me from becoming conceited, I was given a thorn in my flesh,^d a messenger of Satan,^e to torment me. ⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.^{f 9}But he said to me, “My grace^g is sufficient for you, for my power^h is made perfect in weakness.ⁱ”^j Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. ¹⁰That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight^k in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,^l in persecutions,^m in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.ⁿ

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹I have made a fool of myself,^o but you drove me to it. I ought to have been commended by you, for I am not in the least inferior to the “super-apostles,”^ap even though I am nothing.^{q 12}I persevered in demonstrating among you the marks of a true apostle, including signs, wonders and miracles.^{r 13}How were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was never a burden to you?^s Forgive me this wrong!^t

¹⁴Now I am ready to visit you for the third time,^u 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,^v but parents for their children.^{w 15}So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well.^x If I love you more,^y will you love me less? ¹⁶Be that as it may, I have not been a burden to you.^z Yet, crafty fellow that I am, I caught you by trickery! ¹⁷Did I exploit you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸I urged^a Titus^b to go to you and I sent our brother^c with him. Titus did not exploit you, did he? Did we not walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we have been defending ourselves to you? We have been speaking in the sight of God^d as those in Christ; and everything we do, dear friends,^e is for your strengthening.^{f 20}For I am afraid that when I come^g I may not find you as I want you to be, and you may not find me as you want me to be.^h I fear that there may be discord,ⁱ jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition,^j slander,^k gossip,^l arrogance^m and disorder.^{n 21}I am afraid that when I come again my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved^o over many who have sinned earlier^p and have not repented of the impurity, sexual sin and debauchery^q in which they have indulged.

Final Warnings

13This will be my third visit to you.^r “Every matter must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.”^{as 2}I already gave you a warning when I was with you the second…