Jeremiah 8-10
New American Standard Bible
The Sin and Treachery of Judah
8 “At that time,” declares the Lord, “they will (A)bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, the bones of its leaders, the bones of the priests, the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem from their graves. 2 They will spread them out to the sun, the moon, and to all the (B)heavenly [a]lights, which they have loved, which they have served, which they have followed, which they have sought, and which they have worshiped. They will not be gathered (C)nor buried; (D)they will be like dung on the face of the ground. 3 And (E)death will be chosen rather than life by all the remnant that remains of this evil family, that remains in all the (F)places to which I have driven them,” declares the Lord of armies.
4 “You shall say to them, ‘This is what the Lord says:
“Do people (G)fall and not get up?
Does one turn away and not [b]repent?
5 Why has this people, Jerusalem,
(H)Turned away in continual apostasy?
They (I)hold on to deceit,
They (J)refuse to return.
6 I (K)have listened and heard,
They have spoken what is not right;
(L)No one repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
Like a (M)horse charging into the battle.
7 Even the stork in the sky
(N)Knows her seasons;
And the (O)turtledove, the swallow, and the crane
Keep to the time of their [c]migration;
But (P)My people do not know
The judgment of the Lord.
8 “(Q)How can you say, ‘We are wise,
And the Law of the Lord is with us’?
But behold, the lying pen of the scribes
Has made it into a lie.
9 The wise men are (R)put to shame,
They are dismayed and caught;
Behold, they have (S)rejected the word of the Lord,
So what kind of wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore I will (T)give their wives to others,
Their fields to new owners;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is (U)greedy for gain;
From the prophet even to the priest,
Everyone practices deceit.
11 They have (V)healed the brokenness of the daughter of My people superficially,
Saying, ‘Peace, peace,’
But there is no peace.
12 Were they (W)ashamed because of the abomination they had done?
They were not ashamed at all,
And they did not know how to be ashamed;
Therefore they will (X)fall among those who fall;
At the (Y)time of their punishment they will collapse,”
Says the Lord.
13 “I will (Z)certainly snatch them away,” declares the Lord.
“There will be (AA)no grapes on the vine
And (AB)no figs on the fig tree,
And the leaf will wither;
And what I have given them will pass away.”’”
14 Why are we sitting still?
(AC)Assemble yourselves, and let’s (AD)go into the fortified cities
And perish there,
For the Lord our God has doomed us
And given us (AE)poisoned water to drink,
Because (AF)we have sinned against the Lord.
15 We (AG)waited for peace, but no good came;
For a time of healing, but behold, terror!
16 From (AH)Dan there is heard the snorting of his horses;
At the sound of the neighing of his (AI)stallions
The whole land quakes;
For they come and (AJ)devour the land and its fullness,
The city and its inhabitants.
17 “For behold, I am (AK)sending serpents among you,
Vipers for which there is (AL)no charm;
And they will bite you,” declares the Lord.
18 [d]My (AM)sorrow is beyond healing,
My (AN)heart is faint within me!
19 Behold, listen! The cry of the daughter of my people from a (AO)distant land:
“Is the Lord not in Zion? Is her King not within her?”
“Why have they (AP)provoked Me with their carved images, with foreign [e](AQ)idols?”
20 “Harvest is past, summer is over,
And we are not saved.”
21 I am broken over the (AR)brokenness of the daughter of my people.
I (AS)mourn, dismay has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (AT)balm in Gilead?
Is there no physician there?
(AU)Why then has not the [f]health of the daughter of my people [g]been restored?
Grief over Zion
9 [h](AV)Oh, that my head were waters
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For those slain of the (AW)daughter of my people!
2 [i](AX)Oh that I had in the desert
A travelers’ lodging place;
So that I might leave my people
And go away from them!
For all of them are (AY)adulterers,
An assembly of (AZ)treacherous people.
3 “They (BA)bend their tongues like their bows;
Lies and not truth prevail in the land;
For they (BB)proceed from evil to evil,
And they (BC)do not know Me,” declares the Lord.
4 “Let everyone (BD)be on guard against his neighbor,
And (BE)do not trust any brother;
Because every (BF)brother utterly [j]betrays,
And every neighbor (BG)goes about as a slanderer.
5 Everyone (BH)deceives his neighbor
And does not speak the truth.
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They (BI)weary themselves committing wrongdoing.
6 Your (BJ)dwelling is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they (BK)refuse to know Me,” declares the Lord.
7 Therefore this is what the Lord of armies says:
“Behold, I will refine them and (BL)put them to the test;
For (BM)what else can I do, because of the daughter of My people?
8 Their (BN)tongue is a deadly arrow;
It speaks deceit;
With his mouth one (BO)speaks peace to his neighbor,
But inwardly he (BP)sets an ambush for him.
9 (BQ)Shall I not punish them for these things?” declares the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself
On a nation such as this?
10 “I will take up a weeping and wailing for the (BR)mountains,
And for the pastures of the (BS)wilderness a song of mourning,
Because they are (BT)laid waste so that no one passes through,
And the sound of the livestock is not heard;
Both the (BU)birds of the sky and the animals have fled; they are gone.
11 I will make Jerusalem a (BV)heap of ruins,
A haunt of (BW)jackals;
And I will make the cities of Judah a (BX)desolation without inhabitant.”
12 Who is the (BY)wise person who may understand this? And who is he to whom (BZ)the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? (CA)Why is the land destroyed, laid waste like the desert, so that no one passes through? 13 The Lord said, “Because they have (CB)abandoned My Law which I put before them, and have not obeyed My voice nor walked according to it, 14 but have (CC)followed the stubbornness of their heart and the (CD)Baals, [k]as their (CE)fathers taught them,” 15 therefore this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: “Behold, (CF)I will feed this people wormwood; and I will give them (CG)poisoned water to drink. 16 I will also (CH)scatter them among the nations, whom neither they nor their fathers have known; and I will send the (CI)sword after them until I have put an end to them.”
17 This is what the Lord of armies says:
“Consider and call for the (CJ)mourning women, that they may come;
And send for the [l](CK)skillful women, that they may come!
18 Have them hurry and take up a wailing for us,
So that our (CL)eyes may shed tears,
And our eyelids flow with water.
19 For a voice of (CM)wailing is heard from Zion:
‘(CN)How devastated we are!
We are put to great shame,
For we have (CO)abandoned the land
Because they have torn down our homes.’”
20 Now hear the word of the Lord, you (CP)women,
And let your ears receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And have every woman teach her neighbor a song of mourning.
21 For (CQ)death has come up through our windows;
It has entered our palaces
To eliminate the (CR)children from the streets,
The young men from the public squares.
22 Speak, “This is what the Lord says:
‘The corpses of people will fall (CS)like dung on the open field,
And like the sheaf after the reaper,
But no one will gather them.’”
23 This is what the Lord says: “(CT)Let no wise man boast of his wisdom, nor let the (CU)mighty man boast of his might, nor a (CV)rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let the one who boasts (CW)boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who (CX)exercises [m]mercy, justice, and righteousness on the earth; for I (CY)delight in these things,” declares the Lord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” declares the Lord, “that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet (CZ)uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the sons of Ammon, Moab, and (DA)all those inhabiting the desert who trim the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (DB)uncircumcised of heart.”
A Satire on Idolatry
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, house of Israel. 2 This is what the Lord says:
“(DC)Do not learn the way of the nations,
And do not be terrified by the signs of the heavens,
Although the nations are terrified by them;
3 For the customs of the peoples are (DD)futile;
For (DE)it is wood cut from the forest,
The work of the hands of a craftsman with a cutting tool.
4 They (DF)decorate the idol with silver and gold;
They (DG)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not totter.
5 They are like a scarecrow in a cucumber field,
And they (DH)cannot speak;
They must be (DI)carried,
Because they cannot walk!
Do not fear them,
For they (DJ)can do no harm,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 (DK)There is none like You, Lord;
You are (DL)great, and Your name is great in might.
7 (DM)Who would not fear You, O (DN)King of the nations?
For it is Your due!
For among all the (DO)wise men of the nations
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (DP)stupid and foolish;
The instruction from idols is nothing but wood!
9 Beaten (DQ)silver is brought from (DR)Tarshish,
And (DS)gold from Uphaz,
The work of a craftsman and of the hands of a goldsmith;
Their clothing is of violet and purple;
They are all the (DT)work of skilled people.
10 But the Lord is the (DU)true God;
He is the (DV)living God and the (DW)everlasting King.
The (DX)earth quakes at His wrath,
And the nations cannot (DY)endure His indignation.
11 [n]This is what you shall say to them: “The (DZ)gods that did not make the heavens and the earth will (EA)perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 It is (EB)He who made the earth by His power,
Who (EC)established the world by His wisdom;
And by His understanding He has (ED)stretched out the heavens.
13 When He utters His (EE)voice, there is a roar of waters in the heavens,
And He makes the (EF)clouds ascend from the end of the earth;
He makes lightning for the rain,
And brings out the (EG)wind from His storehouses.
14 Every person is (EH)stupid, devoid of knowledge;
Every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols,
For his cast metal images are deceitful,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are (EI)worthless, a work of mockery;
At the (EJ)time of their punishment they will perish.
16 The (EK)Portion of Jacob is not like these;
For He is the [o](EL)Maker of everything,
And (EM)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
The (EN)Lord of armies is His name.
17 (EO)Pick up your bundle from the ground,
You who live under siege!
18 For this is what the Lord says:
“Behold, I am (EP)slinging out the inhabitants of the land
At this time,
And I will cause them distress,
So that they may [p]be found.”
19 (EQ)Woe to me, because of my [q]injury!
My (ER)wound is incurable.
But I said, “This certainly is a sickness,
And I (ES)must endure it.”
20 My (ET)tent is destroyed,
And all my ropes are broken.
My (EU)sons have gone from me and are no more.
There is (EV)no one to stretch out my tent again
Or to set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become stupid
And (EW)have not sought the Lord.
Therefore they have not prospered,
And (EX)all their flock is scattered.
22 The sound of a (EY)report! Behold, it is coming—
A great roar (EZ)from the land of the north—
To (FA)make the cities of Judah
A desolation, a haunt of jackals.
23 I know, Lord, that (FB)a person’s way is not in himself,
(FC)Nor is it in a person who walks to direct his steps.
24 (FD)Correct me, Lord, but with justice;
Not with Your anger, or You will [r]bring me to nothing.
25 (FE)Pour out Your wrath on the nations that (FF)do not know You,
And on the families who (FG)do not call upon Your name;
For they have devoured Jacob;
They have (FH)devoured him and consumed him,
And have laid waste his [s]settlement.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:2 Lit host
- Jeremiah 8:4 Lit turn back
- Jeremiah 8:7 Lit coming
- Jeremiah 8:18 As in LXX and ancient versions
- Jeremiah 8:19 Lit futilities
- Jeremiah 8:22 Or healing
- Jeremiah 8:22 Lit gone up
- Jeremiah 9:1 Ch 8:23 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:2 Ch 9:1 in Heb
- Jeremiah 9:4 I.e., like Jacob (a play on words)
- Jeremiah 9:14 Lit which
- Jeremiah 9:17 I.e., professional mourners
- Jeremiah 9:24 Or faithfulness
- Jeremiah 10:11 This verse is in Aram
- Jeremiah 10:16 Lit Fashioner
- Jeremiah 10:18 Lit find
- Jeremiah 10:19 Lit breaking
- Jeremiah 10:24 Lit diminish me
- Jeremiah 10:25 Or pasture
Jeremiah 8-10
New King James Version
Jeremiah Mourns for His People
8 “At that time,” says the Lord, “they shall bring out the bones of the kings of Judah, and the bones of its princes, and the bones of the priests, and the bones of the prophets, and the bones of the inhabitants of Jerusalem, out of their graves. 2 They shall spread them before the sun and the moon and all the host of heaven, which they have loved and which they have served and after which they have walked, which they have sought and (A)which they have worshiped. They shall not be gathered (B)nor buried; they shall be like refuse on the face of the earth. 3 Then (C)death shall be chosen rather than life by all the [a]residue of those who remain of this evil family, who remain in all the places where I have driven them,” says the Lord of hosts.
The Peril of False Teaching
4 “Moreover you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord:
“Will they fall and not rise?
Will one turn away and not return?
5 Why has this people (D)slidden back,
Jerusalem, in a perpetual backsliding?
(E)They hold fast to deceit,
(F)They refuse to return.
6 (G)I listened and heard,
But they do not speak aright.
(H)No man repented of his wickedness,
Saying, ‘What have I done?’
Everyone turned to his own course,
As the horse rushes into the battle.
7 “Even (I)the stork in the heavens
Knows her appointed times;
And the turtledove, the swift, and the swallow
Observe the time of their coming.
But (J)My people do not know the judgment of the Lord.
8 “How can you say, ‘We are wise,
(K)And the law of the Lord is with us’?
Look, the false pen of the scribe certainly works falsehood.
9 (L)The wise men are ashamed,
They are dismayed and taken.
Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord;
So (M)what wisdom do they have?
10 Therefore (N)I will give their wives to others,
And their fields to those who will inherit them;
Because from the least even to the greatest
Everyone is given to (O)covetousness;
From the prophet even to the priest
Everyone deals falsely.
11 For they have (P)healed the hurt of the daughter of My people [b]slightly,
Saying, (Q)‘Peace, peace!’
When there is no peace.
12 Were they (R)ashamed when they had committed abomination?
No! They were not at all ashamed,
Nor did they know how to blush.
Therefore they shall fall among those who fall;
In the time of their punishment
They shall be cast down,” says the Lord.
13 “I will surely [c]consume them,” says the Lord.
“No grapes shall be (S)on the vine,
Nor figs on the (T)fig tree,
And the leaf shall fade;
And the things I have given them shall (U)pass away from them.” ’ ”
14 “Why do we sit still?
(V)Assemble yourselves,
And let us enter the fortified cities,
And let us be silent there.
For the Lord our God has put us to silence
And given us (W)water[d] of gall to drink,
Because we have sinned against the Lord.
15 “We (X)looked for peace, but no good came;
And for a time of health, and there was trouble!
16 The snorting of His horses was heard from (Y)Dan.
The whole land trembled at the sound of the neighing of His (Z)strong ones;
For they have come and devoured the land and all that is in it,
The city and those who dwell in it.”
17 “For behold, I will send serpents among you,
Vipers which cannot be (AA)charmed,
And they shall bite you,” says the Lord.
The Prophet Mourns for the People
18 I would comfort myself in sorrow;
My heart is faint in me.
19 Listen! The voice,
The cry of the daughter of my people
From (AB)a far country:
“Is not the Lord in Zion?
Is not her King in her?”
“Why have they provoked Me to anger
With their carved images—
With foreign idols?”
20 “The harvest is past,
The summer is ended,
And we are not saved!”
21 (AC)For the hurt of the daughter of my people I am hurt.
I am (AD)mourning;
Astonishment has taken hold of me.
22 Is there no (AE)balm in Gilead,
Is there no physician there?
Why then is there no recovery
For the health of the daughter of my people?
Disobedience Brings God’s Judgment
9 Oh, (AF)that my head were waters,
And my eyes a fountain of tears,
That I might weep day and night
For the slain of the daughter of my people!
2 Oh, that I had in the wilderness
A lodging place for travelers;
That I might leave my people,
And go from them!
For (AG)they are all adulterers,
An assembly of treacherous men.
3 “And like their bow (AH)they have bent their tongues for lies.
They are not valiant for the truth on the earth.
For they proceed from (AI)evil to evil,
And they (AJ)do not know Me,” says the Lord.
4 “Everyone(AK) take heed to his [e]neighbor,
And do not trust any brother;
For every brother will utterly supplant,
And every neighbor will (AL)walk with slanderers.
5 Everyone will (AM)deceive his neighbor,
And will not speak the truth;
They have taught their tongue to speak lies;
They weary themselves to commit iniquity.
6 Your dwelling place is in the midst of deceit;
Through deceit they refuse to know Me,” says the Lord.
7 Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Behold, (AN)I will refine them and [f]try them;
(AO)For how shall I deal with the daughter of My people?
8 Their tongue is an arrow shot out;
It speaks (AP)deceit;
One speaks (AQ)peaceably to his neighbor with his mouth,
But [g]in his heart he [h]lies in wait.
9 (AR)Shall I not punish them for these things?” says the Lord.
“Shall I not avenge Myself on such a nation as this?”
10 I will take up a weeping and wailing for the mountains,
And (AS)for the [i]dwelling places of the wilderness a lamentation,
Because they are burned up,
So that no one can pass through;
Nor can men hear the voice of the cattle.
(AT)Both the birds of the heavens and the beasts have fled;
They are gone.
11 “I will make Jerusalem (AU)a heap of ruins, (AV)a den of jackals.
I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant.”
12 (AW)Who is the wise man who may understand this? And who is he to whom the mouth of the Lord has spoken, that he may declare it? Why does the land perish and burn up like a wilderness, so that no one can pass through?
13 And the Lord said, “Because they have forsaken My law which I set before them, and have (AX)not obeyed My voice, nor walked according to it, 14 but they have (AY)walked according to the [j]dictates of their own hearts and after the Baals, (AZ)which their fathers taught them,” 15 therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: “Behold, I will (BA)feed them, this people, (BB)with wormwood, and give them [k]water of gall to drink. 16 I will (BC)scatter them also among the Gentiles, whom neither they nor their fathers have known. (BD)And I will send a sword after them until I have consumed them.”
The People Mourn in Judgment
17 Thus says the Lord of hosts:
“Consider and call for (BE)the mourning women,
That they may come;
And send for skillful wailing women,
That they may come.
18 Let them make haste
And take up a wailing for us,
That (BF)our eyes may run with tears,
And our eyelids gush with water.
19 For a voice of wailing is heard from Zion:
‘How we are plundered!
We are greatly ashamed,
Because we have forsaken the land,
Because we have been cast out of (BG)our dwellings.’ ”
20 Yet hear the word of the Lord, O women,
And let your ear receive the word of His mouth;
Teach your daughters wailing,
And everyone her neighbor a lamentation.
21 For death has come through our windows,
Has entered our palaces,
To kill off (BH)the children—[l]no longer to be outside!
And the young men—[m]no longer on the streets!
22 Speak, “Thus says the Lord:
‘Even the carcasses of men shall fall (BI)as refuse on the open field,
Like cuttings after the harvester,
And no one shall gather them.’ ”
23 Thus says the Lord:
(BJ)“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his (BK)might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
24 But (BL)let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the Lord, exercising lovingkindness, [n]judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
(BM)For in these I delight,” says the Lord.
25 “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord, “that (BN)I will punish all who are circumcised with the uncircumcised— 26 Egypt, Judah, Edom, the people of Ammon, Moab, and all who are in the (BO)farthest corners, who dwell in the wilderness. For all these nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are (BP)uncircumcised in the heart.”
Idols and the True God
10 Hear the word which the Lord speaks to you, O house of Israel.
2 Thus says the Lord:
(BQ)“Do not learn the way of the Gentiles;
Do not be dismayed at the signs of heaven,
For the Gentiles are dismayed at them.
3 For the customs of the peoples are [o]futile;
For (BR)one cuts a tree from the forest,
The work of the hands of the workman, with the ax.
4 They decorate it with silver and gold;
They (BS)fasten it with nails and hammers
So that it will not topple.
5 They are upright, like a palm tree,
And (BT)they cannot speak;
They must be (BU)carried,
Because they cannot go by themselves.
Do not be afraid of them,
For (BV)they cannot do evil,
Nor can they do any good.”
6 Inasmuch as there is none (BW)like You, O Lord
(You are great, and Your name is great in might),
7 (BX)Who would not fear You, O King of the nations?
For this is Your rightful due.
For (BY)among all the wise men of the nations,
And in all their kingdoms,
There is none like You.
8 But they are altogether (BZ)dull-hearted and foolish;
A wooden idol is a [p]worthless doctrine.
9 Silver is beaten into plates;
It is brought from Tarshish,
And (CA)gold from Uphaz,
The work of the craftsman
And of the hands of the metalsmith;
Blue and purple are their clothing;
They are all (CB)the work of skillful men.
10 But the Lord is the true God;
He is (CC)the living God and the (CD)everlasting King.
At His wrath the earth will tremble,
And the nations will not be able to endure His indignation.
11 Thus you shall say to them: (CE)“The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth (CF)shall perish from the earth and from under these heavens.”
12 He (CG)has made the earth by His power,
He has (CH)established the world by His wisdom,
And (CI)has stretched out the heavens at His discretion.
13 (CJ)When He utters His voice,
There is a [q]multitude of waters in the heavens:
(CK)“And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth.
He makes lightning for the rain,
He brings the wind out of His treasuries.”
14 (CL)Everyone is (CM)dull-hearted, without knowledge;
(CN)Every metalsmith is put to shame by an image;
(CO)For his molded image is falsehood,
And there is no breath in them.
15 They are futile, a work of errors;
In the time of their punishment they shall perish.
16 (CP)The Portion of Jacob is not like them,
For He is the Maker of all things,
And (CQ)Israel is the tribe of His inheritance;
(CR)The Lord of hosts is His name.
The Coming Captivity of Judah
18 For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, I will (CT)throw out at this time
The inhabitants of the land,
And will distress them,
(CU)That they may find it so.”
19 (CV)Woe is me for my hurt!
My wound is severe.
But I say, (CW)“Truly this is an infirmity,
And (CX)I must bear it.”
20 (CY)My tent is plundered,
And all my cords are broken;
My children have gone from me,
And they are (CZ)no more.
There is no one to pitch my tent anymore,
Or set up my curtains.
21 For the shepherds have become dull-hearted,
And have not sought the Lord;
Therefore they shall not prosper,
And all their flocks shall be (DA)scattered.
22 Behold, the noise of the report has come,
And a great commotion out of the (DB)north country,
To make the cities of Judah desolate, a (DC)den of jackals.
23 O Lord, I know the (DD)way of man is not in himself;
It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
24 O Lord, (DE)correct me, but with justice;
Not in Your anger, lest You bring me to nothing.
25 (DF)Pour out Your fury on the Gentiles, (DG)who do not know You,
And on the families who do not call on Your name;
For they have eaten up Jacob,
(DH)Devoured him and consumed him,
And made his dwelling place desolate.
Footnotes
- Jeremiah 8:3 remnant
- Jeremiah 8:11 Superficially
- Jeremiah 8:13 Or take them away
- Jeremiah 8:14 Bitter or poisonous water
- Jeremiah 9:4 friend
- Jeremiah 9:7 test
- Jeremiah 9:8 Inwardly he
- Jeremiah 9:8 sets his ambush
- Jeremiah 9:10 Or pastures
- Jeremiah 9:14 stubbornness or imagination
- Jeremiah 9:15 Bitter or poisonous water
- Jeremiah 9:21 Lit. from outside
- Jeremiah 9:21 Lit. from the square
- Jeremiah 9:24 justice
- Jeremiah 10:3 Lit. vanity
- Jeremiah 10:8 vain teaching
- Jeremiah 10:13 Or noise
- Jeremiah 10:17 Or you who dwell under siege
2 Corinthians 11
New American Standard Bible
Paul Defends His Apostleship
11 I wish that you would (A)bear with me in a little (B)foolishness; but [a]indeed you are bearing with me. 2 For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I (C)betrothed you to one husband, to (D)present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that, as the (E)serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if [b]one comes and preaches (F)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a (G)different spirit which you have not received, or a (H)different gospel which you have not accepted, this you (I)tolerate (J)very well! 5 For I consider myself (K)not in the least inferior to the [c]most eminent apostles. 6 But even if I am (L)unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in (M)knowledge; in fact, in every way we have (N)made this evident to you in all things.
7 Or (O)did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the (P)gospel of God to you (Q)without charge? 8 I robbed other churches by (R)taking wages from them to serve you; 9 and when I was present with you and was in need, I was (S)not a burden to anyone; for when (T)the brothers came from (U)Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from (V)being a burden to you, [d]and will continue to do so. 10 (W)As the truth of Christ is in me, (X)this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of (Y)Achaia. 11 Why? (Z)Because I do not love you? (AA)God knows that I do!
12 But what I am doing I will also continue to do, (AB)so that I may eliminate the opportunity from those who want an opportunity to be [e]regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. 13 For such men are (AC)false apostles, (AD)deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 No wonder, for even (AE)Satan disguises himself as an (AF)angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, (AG)whose end will be according to their deeds.
16 (AH)Again 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 [f](AI)as the Lord would, but as (AJ)in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since (AK)many boast (AL)according to the flesh, I will boast also. 19 For you, (AM)being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. 20 For you tolerate it if anyone (AN)enslaves you, if anyone (AO)devours you, if anyone (AP)takes advantage of you, if anyone (AQ)exalts himself, if anyone (AR)hits you in the face. 21 To my (AS)shame I must say that we have been (AT)weak by comparison.
But in whatever respect anyone else (AU)is bold—I am (AV)speaking in foolishness—I too am bold. 22 Are they (AW)Hebrews? (AX)So am I. Are they (AY)Israelites? (AZ)So am I. Are they [g](BA)descendants of Abraham? (BB)So am I. 23 Are they (BC)servants of Christ?—I am speaking as if insane—I more so; in (BD)far more labors, in (BE)far more imprisonments, [h](BF)beaten times without number, often in danger of (BG)death. 24 Five times I received from the Jews (BH)thirty-nine lashes. 25 Three times I was (BI)beaten with rods, once I was (BJ)stoned, 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 (BK)countrymen, dangers from the (BL)Gentiles, dangers in the (BM)city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers at sea, dangers among (BN)false brothers; 27 I have been in (BO)labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in (BP)hunger and thirst, often (BQ)without food, in cold and [i](BR)exposure. 28 Apart from such [j]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for (BS)all the churches. 29 Who is (BT)weak without my being weak? Who is [k]led into sin [l]without my intense concern?
30 If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my (BU)weakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, (BV)He who is blessed forever, (BW)knows that I am not lying. 32 In (BX)Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was (BY)guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, 33 and I was let down in a basket (BZ)through a window [m]in the wall, and so escaped his hands.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 11:1 Or do indeed bear with me
- 2 Corinthians 11:4 Lit the one who comes preaches
- 2 Corinthians 11:5 Or super-apostles
- 2 Corinthians 11:9 Lit and I will keep
- 2 Corinthians 11:12 Lit found
- 2 Corinthians 11:17 Lit in accordance with the Lord
- 2 Corinthians 11:22 Lit seed
- 2 Corinthians 11:23 Lit exceedingly in blows
- 2 Corinthians 11:27 Lit nakedness; i.e., lack of clothing
- 2 Corinthians 11:28 Or the things unmentioned
- 2 Corinthians 11:29 Lit made to stumble
- 2 Corinthians 11:29 Lit and I do not burn
- 2 Corinthians 11:33 Lit through
2 Corinthians 11
New King James Version
Concern for Their Faithfulness
11 Oh, that you would bear with me in a little (A)folly—and indeed you do bear with me. 2 For I am (B)jealous for you with godly jealousy. For (C)I have betrothed you to one husband, (D)that I may present you (E)as a chaste virgin to Christ. 3 But I fear, lest somehow, as (F)the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds (G)may be corrupted from the [a]simplicity that is in Christ. 4 For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a (H)different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it!
Paul and False Apostles
5 For I consider that (I)I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. 6 Even though (J)I am untrained in speech, yet I am not (K)in knowledge. But (L)we have [b]been thoroughly manifested among you in all things.
7 Did I commit sin in [c]humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you (M)free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. 9 And when I was present with you, and in need, (N)I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked (O)the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. 10 (P)As the truth of Christ is in me, (Q)no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? (R)Because I do not love you? God knows!
12 But what I do, I will also continue to do, (S)that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. 13 For such (T)are false apostles, (U)deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into (V)an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, (W)whose end will be according to their works.
Reluctant Boasting
16 I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. 17 What I speak, (X)I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 19 For you put up with fools gladly, (Y)since you yourselves are wise! 20 For you put up with it (Z)if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. 21 To our shame (AA)I say that we were too weak for that! But (AB)in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also.
Suffering for Christ
22 Are they (AC)Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: (AD)in labors more abundant, (AE)in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, (AF)in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received (AG)forty (AH)stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was (AI)beaten with rods; (AJ)once I was stoned; three times I (AK)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, (AL)in perils of my own countrymen, (AM)in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, (AN)in sleeplessness often, (AO)in hunger and thirst, in (AP)fastings often, in cold and nakedness— 28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: (AQ)my deep concern for all the churches. 29 (AR)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation?
30 If I must boast, (AS)I will boast in the things which concern my [d]infirmity. 31 (AT)The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (AU)who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. 32 (AV)In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 11:3 NU adds and purity
- 2 Corinthians 11:6 NU omits been
- 2 Corinthians 11:7 putting myself down
- 2 Corinthians 11:30 weakness
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
