2 Corinthians

11 I could wish ye would bear with me as to some little foolishness,—Nay! do even bear with me!

2 For I am jealous over you with a jealousy of God; For I myself betrothed you unto one husband To present a chaste virgin unto the Christ,—

3 But I fear lest by any means As the serpent completely deceived Eve in his craftiness Your minds should be corrupted from the singleness [and the chasteness] which are [due] unto the Christ.

4 For if indeed he that cometh is proclaiming another Jesus Whom we have not proclaimed, Or a different Spirit ye are receiving Which ye had not received, Or a different glad-message Which ye have never welcomed Ye are well bearing.

5 For I reckon not to have come a whit behind the exceeding overmuch apostles;

6 And even if uncultured in my discourse Certainly not in my knowledge,—But in every way having made [it] manifest in all things unto you.

7 Or a sin did I commit—Abasing myself that ye might be exalted,—In that free of charge God’s glad-message I announced unto you?

8 Other assemblies I despoiled receiving supplies that I might minister unto you;

9 And being present with you and having come short I was not burdensome to anyone,—For my deficiency the brethren coming from Macedonia helped to make up;—And in everything without burden unto you I kept myself—and will keep!

10 Truth of Christ is in me that this boasting shall not be silenced unto me in the regions of Achaia.

11 Wherefore? Because I love you not? God knoweth!

12 But what I am doing I also will do,—That I may cut off the occasion of them who are wishing an occasion, That wherein they are boasting themselves they may be found even as also we.

13 For such as these are false apostles, deceitful workers, transfiguring themselves into apostles of Christ.

14 And no marvel! For Satan himself doth transfigure himself into a messenger of light!

15 No great thing therefore if his ministers also are transfiguring themselves as ministers of righteousness!—Whose end shall be according to their works.

16 Again I say—Let no one deem me to be foolish; But otherwise at least as foolish give me welcome, That I also some little may boast myself.

17 What I am saying Not according to the Lord am I saying, but as in foolishness,—In this my boastful confidence!

18 Since many are boasting after the flesh I also will boast;

19 For gladly do ye bear with the foolish, Being [yourselves] discreet,—

20 For ye bear with it—If anyone enslaveth you, if any devoureth, if anyone taketh, if anyone lifteth himself up, if anyone on the face doth smite you!

21 By way of disparagement am I speaking,—As though we had been weak! Whereas in whatsoever anyone dareth in foolishness I speak I also dare:—

22 Hebrews are they? I also, Israelites are they? I also, Seed of Abraham are they? I also,

23 Ministers of Christ are they? As one deranged I am talking I above measure!—In toils superabundantly, In prisons superabundantly, In stripes to excess, In deaths oft,—

24 From Jews five times forty-save-one have I received,

25 Thrice have I been beaten with rods, Once have I been stoned, Thrice have I been shipwrecked, A day and night in the deep have I spent;

26 In journeyings oft, In perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my own race, in perils from Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the desert, in perils by the sea, in perils among false brethren,

27 in toil and hardship, in watchings oft, in hunger and thirst, in fasting oft, in cold and nakedness:—

28 Apart from the things without My daily care—my anxiety for all the assemblies;—

29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I am not burning?

30 If to boast is needful in the things that concern my weakness will I boast.

31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus knoweth—He who is blessed unto the ages—That I am not speaking falsely:

32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king was guarding the city of Damascenes to apprehend me,—

33 And through a window was I let down by the wall, And escaped his hands.