2 Corinthians 11 (New American Standard)

Paul Defends His Apostleship

1 I wish that you would ¹bear with me in a little ²foolishness ; but ^aindeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy ; for I ³betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might ⁴present you as a pure virgin. 3 But I am afraid that, as the ⁵serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if ^bone comes and preaches ⁶another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ⁷different spirit which you have not received, or a ⁸different gospel which you have not accepted, you ⁹bear this ¹⁰beautifully. 5 For I consider myself ¹¹not in the least inferior to the ^cmost eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am ¹²unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in ¹³knowledge ; in fact, in every way we have ¹⁴made this evident to you in all things. 7 Or ¹⁵did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ¹⁶gospel of God to you ¹⁷without charge ? 8 I robbed other churches by ¹⁸taking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was ¹⁹not a burden to anyone ; for when ²⁰the brethren came from ²¹Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from ²²being a burden to you, ^dand will continue to do so. 10 ²³As the truth of Christ is in me, ²⁴this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of ²⁵Achaia. 11 Why ? ²⁶Because I do not love you? ²⁷God knows I do! 12 But what I am doing I will continue to do, ²⁸so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be ^eregarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are ²⁹false apostles, ³⁰deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even ³¹Satan disguises himself as an ³²angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, ³³whose end will be according to their deeds. 16 ³⁴Again 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 ^f35as the Lord would, but as ³⁶in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since ³⁷many boast ³⁸according to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, ³⁹being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. 20 For you tolerate it if anyone ⁴⁰enslaves you, anyone ⁴¹devours you, anyone ⁴²takes advantage of you, anyone ⁴³exalts himself, anyone ⁴⁴hits you in the face. 21 To my ⁴⁵shame I must say that we have been ⁴⁶weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else ⁴⁷is bold -I ⁴⁸speak in foolishness -I am just as bold myself. 22 Are they ⁴⁹Hebrews ? ⁵⁰So am I. Are they ⁵¹Israelites ? ⁵²So am I. Are they ^g53descendants of Abraham ? ⁵⁴So am I. 23 Are they ⁵⁵servants of Christ ?-I speak as if insane -I more so ; in ^h56far more labors, in ⁱ⁵⁷far more imprisonments, ^j58beaten times without number, often in ⁵⁹danger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews ⁶⁰thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was ⁶¹beaten with rods, once I was ⁶²stoned, 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 ⁶³countrymen, dangers from the ⁶⁴Gentiles, dangers in the ⁶⁵city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among ⁶⁶false brethren ; 27 I have been in ⁶⁷labor and hardship, ^kthrough many sleepless nights, in ⁶⁸hunger and thirst, often ⁶⁹without food, in cold and ^l70exposure. 28 Apart from such ^mexternal things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ⁷¹all the churches. 29 Who is ⁷²weak without my being weak ? Who is ⁿled into sin ^owithout my intense concern ? 30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my ⁷³weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ⁷⁴He who is blessed forever, ⁷⁵knows that I am not lying. 32 In ⁷⁶Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was ⁷⁷guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket ⁷⁸through a window ^pin the wall, and so escaped his hands.