II Corinthians 11

¹Would that ye could bear with me in a little folly! and indeed ye do bear with me.

²For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy; for I espoused you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ;

³but I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve by his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from single-heartedness toward Christ.

⁴For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye did not receive, or another gospel, which ye did not accept, well might ye bear with it.

⁵For I suppose that I am in no respect behind the very foremost apostles.

⁶And though I am rude in speech, yet I am not in knowledge; but this did we in every respect manifest to you in all things.

⁷Did I commit an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God without charge?

⁸I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, in order to do you service;

⁹and when I was present with you, and in want, I was a charge to no one; (for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied my wants;) and in every thing I kept myself and will keep myself from being burdensome to you.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting shall not be stopped in regard to me in the regions of Achaia.

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

¹²But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off occasion from those who wish for an occasion, in order that in the matter of which they boast they may be found even as we.

¹³For such are false apostles, deceitful workmen, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no wonder; for even Satan transformeth himself into an angel of light.

¹⁵It is no great thing, then, if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

¹⁶I say again, let no one suppose me a fool; if otherwise, yet even as a fool receive me, that I too may boast myself a little.

¹⁷What I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as it were in folly, in this confidence of boasting.

¹⁸Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will boast also.

¹⁹For ye bear with fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise;

²⁰for ye bear with it, if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one smites you on the face.

²¹I say it to my reproach, that we were weak; but in whatever any one is bold, (I speak in folly,) I am bold also.

²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abram’s offspring? So am I.

²³Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as beside myself,) I am more; in labors more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often;

²⁴of the Jews five times I received forty stripes save one;

²⁵thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have spent in the deep;

²⁶by journeyings often; by perils of rivers, by perils of robbers, by perils from my countrymen, by perils from the heathen, by perils in the city, by perils in the wilderness, by perils in the sea, by perils among false brethren;

²⁷by weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

²⁸Besides the other troubles, there is that which presseth upon me daily, the anxiety for all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is in danger of stumbling, and I do not burn?

³⁰If I must boast, I will boast of the things which belong to my weakness.

³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I am not lying.

³²In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept guard over the city of the Damascenes, in order to apprehend me;

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

II Corinthians 11

¹Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.

²For 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.

³But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

⁴For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.

⁵For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

⁶But though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.

⁷Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

⁸I robbed other churches, taking wages of them, to do you service.

⁹And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.

¹⁰As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

¹¹Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.

¹²But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

¹³For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

¹⁴And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

¹⁵Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

¹⁶I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little.

¹⁷That which I speak, I speak it not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

¹⁸Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.

¹⁹For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise.

²⁰For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour you, if a man take of you, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.

²¹I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) I am bold also.

²²Are they Hebrews? 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; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths oft.

²⁴Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

²⁵Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

²⁶In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

²⁷In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

²⁸Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

²⁹Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

³⁰If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

³¹The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

³²In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:

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