2 Corinthians 11
11
Paul and the False Apostles
1#2Co 5:13; 11:4I would to God you could bear with me a little in my folly. Indeed, bear with me. 2#Isa 54:5; Hos 2:19–20For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3#Rev 12:9; Ge 3:4; Jn 8:44But I fear that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve through his trickery, so your minds might be led astray from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4#1Co 3:11; Gal 1:6–8For if he who comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if you receive another spirit, which you have not received, or another gospel, which you have not accepted, you might submit to it readily enough.
5For I think I am not in any way inferior to the most eminent of the apostles. 6#1Co 1:17; Eph 3:4Even though I am unpolished in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. All things about us have been thoroughly revealed to you. 7#2Co 12:13Did I commit a sin in abasing myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God free of charge? 8I robbed other churches by accepting wages from them to serve you. 9#1Th 2:6Furthermore, when I was present with you and was lacking, I was a burden to no one. For the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I lacked. In all things I have kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so will I keep myself. 10#Ro 9:1; Ac 18:12As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11#2Co 12:15; 12:2–3Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.
12#1Co 9:12And I will continue doing what I am doing, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be found equal to us in what they boast about. 13#Rev 2:2; Gal 1:7For such are false apostles and deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14#Gal 1:8And no wonder! For even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15#Php 3:19; 2Co 3:9Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also disguise themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle
16#2Co 11:1; 12:6I say again, let no one think that I am a fool. Otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, so that I also may boast a little. 17#1Co 7:12; 2Co 9:4What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 19#1Co 4:10For you tolerate fools gladly, seeing you yourselves are wise. 20#Gal 2:4; 4:3For you permit it if a man brings you into bondage, if a man devours you, if a man takes from you, if a man exalts himself, or if a man strikes you on the face. 21#2Co 10:10; 10:1–2I say to my reproach that we were too weak for that.
But whenever anyone is bold (I speak foolishly), I am bold also. 22#Php 3:5; Ro 11:1Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23#1Co 15:10; 2Co 6:4–5Are they servants of Christ? I speak as a fool. I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes minus one. 25#Ac 14:19Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I suffered shipwreck; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26#Ac 14:5; 13:50; 17:5in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brothers; 27#2Co 6:5; Php 4:12; 1Th 2:9in weariness and painfulness, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness. 28Beside the external things, the care of all the churches pressures me daily. 29#1Co 8:13; 9:22Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I am not distressed?
30#1Co 2:3If I must boast, I will boast of the things which concern my weakness. 31#Ro 9:5; Jn 10:30The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forevermore, knows that I am not lying. 32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me. 33#Ac 9:25But I was let down by the wall through a window in a basket and escaped his hands.
Currently Selected:
2 Corinthians 11: MEV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
Military Bible Association
2 Corinthians 11
11
Paul and the False Apostles
1I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.
5I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”#11:5 Or to the most eminent apostles 6I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7Was it a sin for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so as to serve you. 9And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, nobody in the regions of Achaia will stop this boasting of mine. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!
12And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Paul Boasts About His Sufferings
16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would, but as a fool. 18Since many are boasting in the way the world does, I too will boast. 19You gladly put up with fools since you are so wise! 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21To my shame I admit that we were too weak for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. 27I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?
30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. 32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. 33But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.