2 Corinthians 11
11
Paul and the False Apostles
1 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness—but in actual fact, you are bearing with me! 2 For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God, for I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid, lest somehow, as the serpent seduced Eve by his craftiness, your minds may be led astray from the simplicity and the purity* that is in Christ. 4 For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or a different spirit which you did not receive, or a different gospel which you did not accept, you put up with it easily* enough! 5 For I consider that I am in no way inferior to these “super-apostles.” 6 But even if I am untrained in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way, we have made this clear to you in all things.*
7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them* in order to serve you.* 9 And when I was present with you and in need, I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my need; and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you and will keep myself from being a burden.* 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be suppressed in the regions of Achaia. 11 For what reason? Because I do not love you? God knows that I do!*
12 But what I am doing, I will also continue to* do, so that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity, in order that they may be found just as also we are in what they are boasting about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself disguises as an angel of light. 15 Therefore, it is not a great thing if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
The Apostolic Sufferings of Paul
16 Again I say, let no one think me to be foolish. But if otherwise, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. 17 What I am saying, I am not saying according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh,* I also will boast. 19 For you, being so wise, gladly put up with fools! 20 For you put up with it, if someone enslaves you, if someone devours you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone exalts himself, if someone strikes you in the face. 21 By way of shame, I say that we have been weak.
But in whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking in foolishness—I also dare to boast. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s offspring? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if I were beside myself—I am even more so: in far greater labours, in far more imprisonments, in beatings beyond measure, in frequent perils of death.* 24 Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I have spent a day and a night adrift at sea.* 26 I have been* on many journeys, in perils from rivers, perils from robbers, perils from my own countrymen, perils from the Gentiles; in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils at sea; in perils among false brothers; 27 in labour and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 Apart from these external things, there is the daily pressure on me of my concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with indignation?
30 If it is necessary to boast, I will boast about the things that concern my weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, the One who is blessed forever,* knows that I am not lying. 32 In Damascus, the governor under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes to seize me, 33 but through a window in the wall, I was let down in a basket and escaped his hands.
Notes
3 Or led astray
3 Some ancient manuscripts omit the phrase and the purity
4 Or readily
6 One ancient Greek manuscript omits the clause Indeed, in every way we have made this clear to you in all things
8 The prepositional phrase from them is supplied contextually for clarification
8 Greek for the service to you
9 The expression myself from being a burden is supplied contextually for clarification
11 The declarative content clause that I do is supplied contextually for clarification
12 The expression continue to is supplied contextually for clarification
18 Or according to human standards
23 Greek in deaths
25 Greek in the deep
26 The present perfect tense I have been is supplied contextually for clarification
31 Greek to the ages
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Copyright © 2026 Michael Adeyemi Adegbola. This Scripture text is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
