Chapter 9

God Gives Most

1 For ait is superfluous for me to write to you about this bministry to the 1saints;

2 for I know your readiness, of which I aboast about you to the bMacedonians, namely, that cAchaia has been prepared since dlast year, and your zeal has stirred up most of them.

3 But I have sent the brethren, in order that our aboasting about you may not be made empty in this case, so that, bas I was saying, you may be prepared;

4 otherwise if any aMacedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to speak of you—will be put to shame by this confidence.

5 So I thought it necessary to urge the abrethren that they would go on ahead to you and arrange beforehand your previously promised 1bbountiful gift, so that the same would be ready as a 1cbountiful gift and not 2daffected by covetousness.

6 Now this I say, ahe who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows 1bountifully will also reap 1bountifully.

7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not agrudgingly or under compulsion, for bGod loves a cheerful giver.

8 And aGod is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed;

9 as it is written,

“aHe scattered abroad, he gave to the poor,

His righteousness 1endures forever.”

10 Now He who supplies aseed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and bincrease the harvest of your righteousness;

11 you will be aenriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing bthanksgiving to God.

12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying athe needs of the 1saints, but is also overflowing bthrough many thanksgivings to God.

13 Because of the proof given by this aministry, they will bglorify God for your obedience to your cconfession of the dgospel of Christ and for the liberality of your 1contribution to them and to all,

14 while they also, by prayer on your behalf, yearn for you because of the surpassing grace of God in you.

15 aThanks be to God for His indescribable bgift!

Chapter 10

Paul Describes Himself

1 Now aI, Paul, myself burge you by the cmeekness and gentleness of Christ—I who dam 1meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent!

2 I ask that awhen I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against bsome, who regard us as if we walked caccording to the flesh.

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war aaccording to the flesh,

4 for the aweapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but 1divinely powerful bfor the destruction of fortresses.

5 We are destroying speculations and every alofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the bobedience of Christ,

6 and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever ayour obedience is complete.

7 1aYou are looking at 2things as they are outwardly. bIf anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, cso also are we.

8 For even if aI boast somewhat 1further about our bauthority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame,

9 1for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters.

10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his 1personal presence is aunimpressive and bhis speech contemptible.”

11 Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

12 For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with 1some of those who acommend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding.

13 But we will not boast abeyond our measure, but 1bwithin the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you.

14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for awe were the first to come even as far as you in the bgospel of Christ;

15 not boasting abeyond our measure, that is, in bother men’s labors, but with the hope that as cyour faith grows, we will be, 1within our sphere, denlarged even more by you,

16 so as to apreach the gospel even to bthe regions beyond you, and not to boast 1cin what has been accomplished in the sphere of another.

17 But ahe who boasts is to boast in the Lord.

18 For it is not he who acommends himself that is approved, but he bwhom the Lord commends.

Chapter 11

Paul Defends His Apostleship

1 I wish that you would abear with me in a little bfoolishness; but 1indeed you are bearing with me.

2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I abetrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might bpresent you as a pure virgin.

3 But I am afraid that, as the aserpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

4 For if 1one comes and preaches aanother Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a bdifferent spirit which you have not received, or a cdifferent gospel which you have not accepted, you dbear this ebeautifully.

5 For I consider myself anot in the least inferior to the 1most eminent apostles.

6 But even if I am aunskilled in speech, yet I am not so in bknowledge; in fact, in every way we have cmade this evident to you in all things.

7 Or adid I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the bgospel of God to you cwithout charge?

8 I robbed other churches by ataking wages from them to serve you;

9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was anot a burden to anyone; for when bthe brethren came from cMacedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from abeing a burden to you, 1and will continue to do so.

10 aAs the truth of Christ is in me, bthis boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of cAchaia.

11 Why? aBecause I do not love you? bGod knows I do!

12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, aso that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be 1regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting.

13 For such men are afalse apostles, bdeceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.

14 No wonder, for even aSatan disguises himself as an bangel of light.

15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, awhose end will be according to their deeds.

16 aAgain I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little.

17 What I am saying, I am not saying 1aas the Lord would, but as bin foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

18 Since amany boast baccording to the flesh, I will boast also.

19 For you, abeing so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly.

20 For you tolerate it if anyone aenslaves you, anyone bdevours you, anyone ctakes advantage of you, anyone dexalts himself, anyone ehits you in the face.

21 To my ashame I must say that we have been bweak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else cis bold—I dspeak in foolishness—I am just as bold myself.

22 Are they aHebrews? bSo am I. Are they cIsraelites? cSo am I. Are they 1ddescendants of Abraham? eSo am I.

23 Are they aservants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in 1bfar more labors, in 1cfar more imprisonments, 2dbeaten times without number, often in edanger of death.

24 Five times I received from the Jews athirty-nine lashes.

25 Three times I was abeaten with rods, once I was bstoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my acountrymen, dangers from the bGentiles, dangers in the ccity, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among dfalse brethren;

27 I have been in alabor and hardship, 1through many sleepless nights, in bhunger and thirst, often cwithout food, in cold and 2dexposure.

28 Apart from such 1external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for aall the churches.

29 Who is aweak without my being weak? Who is 1led into sin 2without my intense concern?

30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my aweakness.

31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, aHe who is blessed forever, bknows that I am not lying.

32 In aDamascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was bguarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,

33 and I was let down in a basket athrough a window 1in the wall, and so escaped his hands.