2 Corinthians 11

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.

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