2 Corinthians 10-12 - LSB - Legacy Standard Bible

2 Corinthians 10-12

Paul Defends His Authority

Now ^aI, Paul, myself ^bplead with you by the ^cgentleness and forbearance of Christ—I who ^dam humble when face-to-face with you, but courageous toward you when absent! 2 But I beg that ^awhen I am present I need not act so courageously with the confidence that I consider to daringly use against ^bsome, who consider 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 tearing down of strongholds, 5 as we tear down speculations and every ^alofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to the ^bobedience of Christ, 6 and are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever ^ayour obedience is fulfilled.
7 ¹^aYou 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 tearing you down, 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 ^aweak and ^bhis ²words 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 do not dare to classify 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 ¹^bwithin the measure of the area of influence 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 you, (for ^awe were the first to come even as far as you in the ^bgospel of Christ), 15 not boasting ^abeyond our measure in ^bother men’s labors, but having the hope—that as ^cyour faith grows—to be ^denlarged even more by you ¹within our area of influence, 16 so as to ^aproclaim the gospel even to ^bthe regions beyond you, and not to boast ¹^cin what has been accomplished in the area of influence of another. 17 But ^ahe who boasts is to boast in the Lord. 18 For it is not the one who ^acommends himself that is approved, but the one ^bwhom the Lord commends.

Paul Defends His Apostleship

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 I might ^bpresent you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear that, as the ^aserpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be corrupted from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. 4 For if ¹one comes and preaches ^aanother Jesus whom we did not preach, or you receive a ^bdifferent spirit which you did not receive, or a ^cdifferent gospel which you did not accept, you ^dbear this ^ebeautifully. 5 For I consider myself ^ain no way inferior to the ¹most-eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am ^aunskilled in word, 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 proclaimed the ^bgospel of God to you ^cwithout charge? 8 I robbed other churches by ^ataking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you and was in need, I was ^anot a burden to anyone; for when ^bthe brothers came from ^cMacedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept and will keep myself from ^abeing a burden to you. 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 found 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 And no wonder, for even ^aSatan disguises himself as an ^bangel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers 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 ¹^aaccording to the Lord, 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, are bearing the foolish gladly. 20 For you bear 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 daring—I ^dspeak in foolishness—I am just as daring myself. 22 Are they ^aHebrews? ^bSo am I. Are they ^cIsraelites? ^cSo am I. Are they Abraham’s ^dseed? ^eSo am I. 23 Are they ^aministers of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in ¹^bfar more labors, in ¹^cfar more imprisonments, in ^dbeatings without number, in frequent ^edanger of death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews ^aforty lashes less one. 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 desolate places, dangers on the sea, dangers among ^dfalse brothers. 27 I have been in ^alabor and hardship, in many sleepless nights, in ^bstarvation and thirst, often ^chungry, in cold and ¹^dwithout enough clothing. 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 made to stumble ¹without my burning 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.

A Vision of Paradise

^aIt is necessary to boast, though it is not profitable, but I will go on to visions and ^brevelations ¹of the Lord. 2 I know a man ^ain Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, ^bGod knows—such a man was ^ccaught up to the ^dthird heaven. 3 And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, ^aGod knows— 4 was ^acaught up into ^bParadise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. 5 ^aOn behalf of such a man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in ^bweaknesses. 6 For if I do wish to boast I will not be ^afoolish, ^bfor I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me.

A Thorn in the Flesh

7 Because of the surpassing greatness of the ^arevelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a ^bthorn in the flesh, a ^cmessenger of Satan to ¹torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! 8 Concerning this I pleaded with the Lord ^athree times that it might leave me. 9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for ^apower is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ^bboast in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 10 Therefore ^aI am well content with weaknesses, with ¹insults, with ^bdistresses, with ^cpersecutions and ^bhardships, ^dfor the sake of Christ, for ^ewhen I am weak, then I am strong.

Concern for the Corinthian Church

11 I have become ^afoolish; you yourselves compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you, for ^bin no respect was I inferior to the ¹most-eminent apostles, even if ^cI am nothing. 12 The ¹^asigns ²of a true apostle were worked out among you with all perseverance, by ¹signs and wonders and ³miracles. 13 For in what respect were you treated as less than the rest of the churches, except that ^aI myself did not become a burden to you? ¹Forgive me ^bthis wrong!
14 Here ^afor this third time I am ready to come to you, and I ^bwill not be a burden to you; for I ^cdo not seek what is yours, but ^dyou. For ^echildren ought not to save up for their parents, but ^fparents for their children. 15 So I will ^amost gladly spend and be fully spent for your souls. If ^bI love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But be that as it may, I ^adid not burden you myself. Nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I ^btook you in by deceit. 17 ^aHave I taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you? 18 I ^aencouraged ^bTitus to go, and I sent ^cthe brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? Did we not walk ¹in the same ^dspirit—^ein the very same steps?
19 All this time ¹you think we are defending ourselves to you. We speak in Christ ^ain the sight of God. ^bAnd all these things, ^cbeloved, are for your building up. 20 For I am afraid that perhaps ^awhen I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be ^bstrife, jealousy, ^coutbursts of anger, ^dselfish ambition, ^eslanders, ^fgossip, ^garrogance, ^hdisturbances. 21 I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have ^asinned in the past and not repented of the ^bimpurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality which they have practiced.