Dec 7 - 2 Corinthians 11-13
2 Corinthians
1I wish that you would endure a small amount of my foolishness, so as to bear with me2For I am jealous toward you, with the jealousy of God. And I have espoused you to one husband, offering you as a chaste virgin to Christ3But I am afraid lest, as the serpent led astray Eve by his cleverness, so your minds might be corrupted and might fall away from the simplicity which is in Christ4For if anyone arrives preaching another Christ, one whom we have not preached; or if you receive another Spirit, one whom you have not received; or another Gospel, one which you have not been given: you might permit him to guide you5For I consider that I have done nothing less than the great Apostles6For although I may be unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge. But, in all things, we have been made manifest to you7Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you would be exalted? For I preached the Gospel of God to you freely8I have taken from other churches, receiving a stipend from them to the benefit of your ministry9And when I was with you and in need, I was burdensome to no one. For the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied whatever was lacking to me. And in all things, I have kept myself, and I will keep myself, from being burdensome to you10The truth of Christ is in me, and so this glorying shall not be broken away from me in the regions of Achaia11Why so? Is it because I do not love you? God knows I do12But what I am doing, I will continue to do, so that I may take away an opportunity from those who desire an opportunity by which they may glory, so as to be considered to be like us13For false apostles, such as these deceitful workers, are presenting themselves as if they were Apostles of Christ14And no wonder, for even Satan presents himself as if he were an Angel of light15Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers present themselves as if they were ministers of justice, for their end shall be according to their works16I say again. And let no one consider me to be foolish. Or, at least, accept me as if I were foolish, so that I also may glory a small amount17What I am saying is not said according to God, but as if in foolishness, in this matter of glorying18Since so many glory according to the flesh, I will glory also19For you freely accept the foolish, though you yourselves claim to be wise20For you permit it when someone guides you into servitude, even if he devours you, even if he takes from you, even if he is extolled, even if he strikes you repeatedly on the face21I speak according to disgrace, as if we had been weak in this regard. In this matter, (I speak in foolishness) if anyone dares, I dare also22They are Hebrews; so am I. They are Israelites; so am I. They are the offspring of Abraham; so am I23They are the ministers of Christ (I speak as if I were less wise); more so am I: with many more labors, with numerous imprisonments, with wounds beyond measure, with frequent mortifications24On five occasions, I received forty stripes, less one, from the Jews25Three times, I was beaten with rods. One time, I was stoned. Three times, I was shipwrecked. For a night and a day, I was in the depths of the sea26I have made frequent journeys, through dangerous waters, in danger of robbers, in danger from my own nation, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger in the sea, in danger from false brothers27with hardships and difficulties, with much vigilance, in hunger and thirst, with frequent fasts, in cold and nakedness28and, in addition to these things, which are external: there is my daily earnestness and solicitude for all the churches29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not being burned30If it is necessary to glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weaknesses31The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying32At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, watched over the city of the Damascenes, so as to apprehend me33And, through a window, I was let down along the wall in a basket; and so I escaped his hands
1If it is necessary (though certainly not expedient) to glory, then I will next tell of visions and revelations from the Lord2I know a man in Christ, who, more than fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I do not know, or out of the body, I do not know: God knows), was enraptured to the third heaven3And I know a certain man (whether in the body, or out of the body, I do not know: God knows)4who was enraptured into Paradise. And he heard words of mystery, which it is not permitted for man to speak5On behalf of someone like this, I will glory. But on behalf of myself, I will not glory about anything, except my infirmities6For even though I am willing to glory, I will not be foolish. But I will speak the truth. Yet I will do so sparingly, lest anyone may consider me to be anything more than what he sees in me, or anything more than what he hears from me7And lest the greatness of the revelations should extol me, there was given to me a prodding in my flesh: an angel of Satan, who struck me repeatedly8Because of this, three times I petitioned the Lord that it might be taken away from me9And he said to me: "My grace is sufficient for you. For virtue is perfected in weakness." And so, willingly shall I glory in my weaknesses, so that the virtue of Christ may live within me10Because of this, I am pleased in my infirmity: in reproaches, in difficulties, in persecutions, in distresses, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am powerful11I have become foolish; you have compelled me. For I ought to have been commended by you. For I have been nothing less than those who claim to be above the measure of Apostles, even though I am nothing12And the seal of my Apostleship has been set over you, with all patience, with signs and wonders and miracles13For what is there that you have had which is less than the other churches, except that I myself did not burden you? Forgive me this injury14Behold, this is the third time I have prepared to come to you, and yet I will not be a burden to you. For I am seeking not the things that are yours, but you yourselves. And neither should the children store up for the parents, but the parents for the children15And so, very willingly, I will spend and exhaust myself for the sake of your souls, loving you more, while being loved less16And so be it. I have not burdened you, but instead, being astute, I obtained you by guile17And yet, did I defraud you by means of any of those whom I sent to you18I asked for Titus, and I sent a brother with him. Did Titus defraud you? Did we not walk with the same spirit? Did we not walk in the same steps19Have you ever thought that we should explain ourselves to you? We speak in the sight of God, in Christ. But all things, most beloved, are for your edification20Yet I fear, lest perhaps, when I have arrived, I might not find you such as I would want, and I might be found by you, such as you would not want. For perhaps there may be among you: contention, envy, animosity, dissension, detraction, whispering, self-exaltation, and rebellion21If so, then, when I have arrived, God may again humble me among you. And so, I mourn for the many who sinned beforehand, and did not repent, over the lust and fornication and homosexuality, which they have committed
1Behold, this is the third time that I am coming to you. By the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word shall stand2I have preached when present, and I will preach now while absent, to those who sinned before, and to all the others, because, when I arrive again, I will not be lenient with you3Do you seek evidence that it is Christ who speaks in me, who is not weak with you, but is powerful with you4For although he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by the power of God. And yes, we are weak in him. But we shall live with him by the power of God among you5Test yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Examine yourselves. Or do you yourselves not know whether Christ Jesus is in you? But perhaps you are reprobates6But I hope you know that we ourselves are not reprobates7Now we pray to God that you shall do nothing evil, not so that we may seem to be approved, but so that you may do what is good, even if we seem like reprobates8For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth9For we rejoice that we are weak, while you are strong. This is also what we pray for: your perfection10Therefore, I write these things while absent, so that, when present, I may not have to act more harshly, according to the authority which the Lord has given to me, for edification and not for destruction11As to the rest, brothers, rejoice, be perfect, be encouraged, have the same mind, have peace. And so the God of peace and love will be with you12Greet one another with a holy kiss.13All the saints greet you.14The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen