2 CorinthiansChapter 11

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¹I hope you will put up with me while I act a little foolish. But you are already doing that. ²I am jealous for you with a jealousy from God. I promised you to one husband, Christ. I want to give you to him as a pure bride who is a virgin. ³But I am afraid. The serpent tricked Eve with his clever lies. In the same way, your minds might be led away from your simple and pure love for Christ. ⁴Someone may come and preach a Jesus other than the One we preached. Or you may receive a different spirit from the One you received. Or you may accept a different good news from the one you accepted. And you put up with it so easily! ⁵I don't think I am any less than those "super-apostles." ⁶I may not be a skilled speaker. But I am not short on knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way. ⁷I made myself low so that you could be lifted up. I preached the good news of God to you for free. Was that a sin? ⁸I robbed other churches by taking money from them so I could serve you. ⁹When I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone. The brothers who came from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I have kept myself from being a burden to you in any way. And I will keep on doing that. ¹⁰The truth of Christ is in me. Just as surely, no one in the area of Achaia will stop me from bragging about this. ¹¹Why? Is it because I don't love you? God knows I do! ¹²And I will keep on doing what I am doing. Some people want a chance to be seen as our equals in the things they brag about. I want to take away that chance. ¹³Men like that are false apostles. They are workers who trick people. They pretend to be apostles of Christ. ¹⁴And no wonder! Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. ¹⁵So it is no surprise if his servants pretend to be servants of what is right. In the end they will get what their actions deserve. ¹⁶I say it again. No one should think I am a fool. But if you do, then accept me as a fool. Then I can brag a little too. ¹⁷When I brag this boldly, I am not talking the way the Lord would. I am talking like a fool. ¹⁸Many people are bragging the way the world does. So I will brag too. ¹⁹You are so wise! So you are glad to put up with fools. ²⁰In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you slaves. You put up with people who use you or take what is yours. You put up with people who act like they are better than you, or who slap you in the face. ²¹I am ashamed to say that we were too weak to do that! But what anyone else dares to brag about, I can brag about too. I am talking like a fool. ²²Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they children of Abraham? So am I. ²³Are they servants of Christ? I am talking as if I were out of my mind. But I am even more of a servant. I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have been beaten worse. I have faced death again and again. ²⁴Five times the Jews gave me 39 lashes with a whip.a ²⁵Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was in a shipwreck. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶I have traveled again and again. I have been in danger from rivers and from robbers. I have been in danger from my own people and from the Gentiles. I have been in danger in the city and in the country. I have been in danger at sea and from false brothers. ²⁷I have worked hard and long, and often I could not sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty, and I have often gone without food. I have been cold and without enough clothes. ²⁸Besides all these outside troubles, every day I carry the weight of caring for all the churches. ²⁹Who is weak, and I don't feel weak too? Who is led into sin, and I don't burn with grief? ³⁰If I must brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows I am not lying. He is worthy of praise forever. ³²In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas had the city of Damascus guarded so he could arrest me. ³³But I was let down in a basket through a window in the city wall. So I got away from him.