2Cor 11 | NASB2020 | STEP | I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness ; but indeed you are bearing with me.

2 Corinthians 11

Paul Defends His Apostleship

1 I wish that you would ^abear with me in a little ^bfoolishness; but ^{▼▼Or do indeed bear with me}indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I ^dbetrothed you to one husband, to ^epresent you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that, as the ^fserpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if ^{▼▼Lit the one who comes preaches}one comes and preaches ^hanother Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ⁱdifferent spirit which you have not received, or a ^jdifferent gospel which you have not accepted, this you ^ktolerate ^lvery well! 5 For I consider myself ^mnot in the least inferior to the ^{▼▼Or super-apostles}most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am ^ounskilled in speech, yet I am not so in ^pknowledge; in fact, in every way we have ^qmade this evident to you in all things.

7 Or ^rdid I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ^sgospel of God to you ^twithout charge? 8 I robbed other churches by ^utaking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was ^vnot a burden to anyone; for when ^wthe brothers came from ^xMacedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from ^ybeing a burden to you, ^{▼▼Lit and I will keep}and will continue to do so. 10 ^aaAs the truth of Christ is in me, ^abthis boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of ^acAchaia. 11 Why? ^adBecause I do not love you? ^aeGod knows that I do!

12 But what I am doing I will also continue to do, ^afso that I may eliminate the opportunity from those who want an opportunity to be ^{▼▼Lit found}regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are ^ahfalse apostles, ^aideceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even ^ajSatan disguises himself as an ^akangel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, ^alwhose end will be according to their deeds.

16 ^amAgain I say, let no one think me foolish; but if you do, receive me even as foolish, so that I also may boast a little. 17 What I am saying, I am not saying ^{▼▼Lit in accordance with the Lord
,} ^aoas the Lord would, but as ^apin foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since ^aqmany boast ^araccording to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, ^asbeing so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. 20 For you tolerate it if anyone ^atenslaves you, if anyone ^audevours you, if anyone ^avtakes advantage of you, if anyone ^awexalts himself, if anyone ^axhits you in the face. 21 To my ^ayshame I must say that we have been ^azweak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else ^bais bold--I am ^bbspeaking in foolishness--I too am bold. 22 Are they ^bcHebrews? ^bdSo am I. Are they ^beIsraelites? ^bfSo am I. Are they ^{▼▼Lit seed
,} ^bhdescendants of Abraham? ^biSo am I. 23 Are they ^bjservants of Christ?--I am speaking as if insane--I more so; in ^bkfar more labors, in ^blfar more imprisonments, ^{▼▼Lit exceedingly in blows
,} ^bnbeaten times without number, often in danger of ^bodeath. 24 Five times I received from the Jews ^bpthirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was ^bqbeaten with rods, once I was ^brstoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea. 26 I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my ^bscountrymen, dangers from the ^btGentiles, dangers in the ^bucity, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among ^bvfalse brothers; 27 I have been in ^bwlabor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in ^bxhunger and thirst, often ^bywithout food, in cold and ^{▼▼Lit nakedness; i.e., lack of clothing
,} ^caexposure. 28 Apart from such ^{▼▼Or the things unmentioned}external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ^ccall the churches. 29 Who is ^cdweak without my being weak? Who is ^{▼▼Lit made to stumble}led into sin ^{▼▼Lit and I do not burn}without my intense concern?

30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my ^cgweakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^chHe who is blessed forever, ^ciknows that I am not lying. 32 In ^cjDamascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was ^ckguarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket ^clthrough a window ^{▼▼Lit through}in the wall, and so escaped his hands.