2 Corinthians 11

¹I wish you would tolerate a little foolishness from me—but indeed, you are already tolerating me. ²For I am jealous for you with a jealousy like God’s; for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to the Christ. ³But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds might be corrupted from the sincere and pure devotion to the Christ. ⁴For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or if you receive a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you tolerate it beautifully!

⁵For I consider myself in no way inferior to these “super-apostles.” ⁶Even if I am unskilled in public speaking, I am certainly not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this clear to you in all things. ⁷Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I announced the good news of God to you free of charge? ⁸I robbed other assemblies by taking support from them to serve you. ⁹And when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a dead weight to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia filled up what I lacked. In everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and I will continue to do so. ¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boast will not be silenced regarding me in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

¹²And what I am doing, I will continue to do, so that I may cut off the opportunity from those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things they boast about. ¹³For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as a messenger of light. ¹⁵It is no great thing, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of justice; their end will be according to their deeds.

¹⁶I say again, let no one think me a fool—but if you do, then accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. ¹⁷What I am saying in this confident boasting, “I am not saying according to the Lord’s way, but as if in foolishness.” ¹⁸Since many are boasting according to human standards, I will boast too. ¹⁹For you gladly tolerate fools, being so wise yourselves! ²⁰For you tolerate it if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone puts on airs, if someone hits you in the face. ²¹To my shame, I must say that we were too “weak” for that! But in whatever anyone else dares to boast—I am speaking in foolishness—I dare to boast also. ²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. ²³Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking like I’ve lost my mind—I am more so: in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, in countless beatings, and often near death. ²⁴Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift in the deep. ²⁶I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from bandits, dangers from my own people, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among false brothers; ²⁷in labor and toil, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

²⁸Besides these external things, there is the daily pressure on me: my anxiety for all the assemblies. ²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with indignation? ³⁰If it is necessary to boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. ³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus—he who is blessed forever—knows that I am not lying. ³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, ³³but I was lowered in a wicker basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.