2 Corinthians 11
11
Paul and the False Apostles
1I wish you would put up with a little foolishness#Mk 7:22; 2Co 11:17,21 from me. Yes, do put up with me!#11:1 Or Yes, you are putting up with me 2For I am jealous#Jms 3:16 for you with a godly jealousy,#Nm 25:13; Gl 4:17 because I have promised you in marriage to one husband — to present a pure#Php 4:8 virgin to Christ. 3But I fear that, as the serpent#Gn 3:1; Lk 10:19 deceived#Rm 7:11; 16:18; 1Co 3:18; 2Th 2:3; 1Tm 2:14 Eve#Gn 3:20 by his cunning, your minds may be seduced from a sincere and pure#11:3 Other mss omit and pure devotion to Christ.#1Th 3:5 4For if a person comes and preaches another Jesus,#1Co 3:11 whom we did not preach, or you receive a different spirit,#1Jn 4:1 which you had not received, or a different gospel,#Gl 1:6 which you had not accepted, you put up with it splendidly!
5Now I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”#Jd 17 6Even if I am untrained in public speaking,#1Co 1:17 I am certainly not untrained in knowledge.#Php 3:8; 1Jn 4:8 Indeed, we have in every way made that clear to you in everything. 7Or did I commit a sin by humbling#Lk 14:11 myself so that you might be exalted,#Lk 1:52 because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?#Ac 18:3 8I robbed other churches by taking pay from them to minister to you. 9When I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, since the brothers who came from Macedonia#Ac 16:9 supplied my needs.#Php 4:10 I have kept myself, and will keep myself, from burdening you in any way. 10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped#11:10 Or silenced in the regions of Achaia.#Ac 18:12 11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows I do!
12But I will continue to do what I am doing, in order to deny#11:12 Lit cut off an opportunity to those who want to be regarded as our equals in what they boast about. 13For such people are false apostles,#Rv 2:2 deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15So it is no great surprise if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will be according to their works.#Gl 3:10
Paul’s Sufferings for Christ
16I repeat: Let no one consider me a fool. But if you do, at least accept me as a fool so that I can also boast a little. 17What I am saying in this matter#11:17 Or business, or confidence of boasting, I don’t speak as the Lord would, but as it were, foolishly. 18Since many boast according to the flesh, I will also boast. 19For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools!#Pr 3:7 20In fact, you put up with it if someone enslaves you, if someone exploits#Gl 5:15 you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone is arrogant toward you, if someone slaps#Mt 5:39 you in the face. 21I say this to our shame: We have been too weak for that!
But in whatever anyone dares to boast — I am talking foolishly — I also dare: 22Are they Hebrews?#Php 3:5 So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the descendants of Abraham?#Gn 16:15; Gl 3:29 So am I. 23Are they servants of Christ? I’m talking like a madman — I’m a better one: with far more labors, many more imprisonments, far worse beatings, many times near death.
24Five times I received the forty lashes minus one from the Jews.#Dt 25:3 25Three times I was beaten with rods.#Ac 16:22 Once I received a stoning.#Ac 14:19 Three times I was shipwrecked.#Ac 27:1–44; 1Tm 1:19 I have spent a night and a day in the open sea. 26On frequent journeys, I faced dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers,#Mk 14:48 dangers from my own people,#Ac 9:23; 13:50; 14:5; 17:5; 18:12; 20:3,19; 21:27; 23:10–12; 25:3 dangers from Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, and dangers among false brothers; 27toil and hardship, many sleepless nights, hunger and thirst, often without food, cold, and without clothing.#Rm 8:35 28Not to mention#11:28 Lit Apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me: my concern for all the churches. 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble,#Jn 16:1 and I do not burn with indignation?
30If boasting is necessary, I will boast about my weaknesses. 31The God and Father#Mt 5:16; 11:27; Lk 11:13; Jn 8:42; Eph 5:20 of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. 32In Damascus,#2Sm 8:5 a ruler#11:32 Gk ethnarches; a leader of an ethnic community under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus in order to arrest me. 33So I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped from his hands.#Ac 9:19–25
Currently Selected:
2 Corinthians 11: CSB
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 2017 Holman Bible Publishers
II Corinthians 11
11
Concern for Their Faithfulness
1Oh, that you would bear with me in a little #Matt. 17:17; 2 Cor. 11:4, 16, 19folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2For I am #Gal. 4:17jealous for you with godly jealousy. For #Hos. 2:19; (Eph. 5:26)I have betrothed you to one husband, #Col. 1:28that I may present you #Lev. 21:13as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3But I fear, lest somehow, as #Gen. 3:4, 13; John 8:44; 1 Thess. 3:5; 1 Tim. 2:14; (Rev. 12:9, 15)the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds #Eph. 6:24may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. 4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a #Gal. 1:6–8different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Paul and False Apostles
5For I consider that #(1 Cor. 15:10); 2 Cor. 12:11; Gal. 2:6I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6Even though #(1 Cor. 1:17)I am untrained in speech, yet I am not #(1 Cor. 12:8; Eph. 3:4)in knowledge. But #(2 Cor. 12:12)we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.
7Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you #Acts 18:3; 1 Cor. 9:18; 2 Cor. 12:13free of charge? 8I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. 9And when I was present with you, and in need, #Acts 20:33I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked #Phil. 4:10the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. 10#Rom. 1:9; 9:1; 2 Cor. 1:23; (Gal. 2:20)As the truth of Christ is in me, #1 Cor. 9:15no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11Why? #2 Cor. 6:11; 12:15Because I do not love you? God knows!
12But what I do, I will also continue to do, #1 Cor. 9:12that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13For such #Acts 15:24; Rom. 16:18; Gal. 1:7; Phil. 1:15; 2 Pet. 2:1; Rev. 2:2are false apostles, #Phil. 3:2; Titus 1:10deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into #Gal. 1:8an angel of light. 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, #(Phil. 3:19)whose end will be according to their works.
Reluctant Boasting
16I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. 17What I speak, #1 Cor. 7:6I 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. 19For you put up with fools gladly, #1 Cor. 4:10since you yourselves are wise! 20For you put up with it #2 Cor. 1:24; (Gal. 2:4; 4:3, 9; 5:1)if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. 21To our shame #2 Cor. 10:10I say that we were too weak for that! But #Phil. 3:4in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.
Suffering for Christ
22Are they #Acts 22:3; Rom. 11:1; Phil. 3:4–6Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: #1 Cor. 15:10in labors more abundant, #Acts 9:16in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, #1 Cor. 15:30in deaths often. 24From the Jews five times I received #Deut. 25:3forty #2 Cor. 6:5stripes minus one. 25Three times I was #Acts 16:22, 23; 21:32beaten with rods; #Acts 14:5, 19once I was stoned; three times I #Acts 27:1–44was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, #Acts 9:23, 24; 13:45, 50; 17:5, 13; 1 Thess. 2:15in perils of my own countrymen, #Acts 14:5, 19; 19:23; 27:42in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27in weariness and toil, #Acts 20:31in sleeplessness often, #1 Cor. 4:11; Phil. 4:12in hunger and thirst, in #Acts 9:9; 13:2, 3; 14:23fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: #Acts 20:18; (Rom. 1:14); 2 Cor. 7:12; 12:20; Gal. 4:11; 1 Thess. 3:10my deep concern for all the churches. 29#(1 Cor. 8:9, 13; 9:22)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?
30If I must boast, #(2 Cor. 12:5, 9, 10)I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. 31#Rom. 1:9; Gal. 1:20; 1 Thess. 2:5The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, #Rom. 9:5who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32#Acts 9:19–25In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from 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 King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.