2 Corinthians 11
English Standard Version
Paul and the False Apostles
11 I wish you would bear with me in a little foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since (A)I betrothed you to one husband, (B)to present you (C)as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that (D)as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts (E)will be led astray from a (F)sincere and (G)pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and (H)proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept (I)a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that (J)I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 (K)Even if I am unskilled in speaking, (L)I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way (M)we have made this plain to you in all things.
7 Or (N)did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because (O)I preached God's gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was (P)in need, (Q)I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia (R)supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain (S)from burdening you in any way. 10 (T)As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine (U)will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? (V)Because I do not love you? (W)God knows I do!
12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, (X)in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are (Y)false apostles, (Z)deceitful workmen, (AA)disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as (AB)an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as (AC)servants of righteousness. (AD)Their end will correspond to their deeds.
Paul's Sufferings as an Apostle
16 I repeat, (AE)let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying (AF)with this boastful confidence, (AG)I say not as the Lord would[a] but as a fool. 18 Since (AH)many boast according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with fools, (AI)being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone (AJ)makes slaves of you, or (AK)devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or (AL)strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, (AM)we were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? (AN)So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they (AO)servants of Christ? (AP)I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labors, (AQ)far more imprisonments, (AR)with countless beatings, and (AS)often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the (AT)forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was (AU)beaten with rods. (AV)Once I was stoned. Three times I (AW)was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, (AX)danger from my own people, (AY)danger from Gentiles, (AZ)danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 (BA)in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, (BB)in hunger and thirst, often without food,[b] in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for (BC)all the churches. 29 (BD)Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 (BE)If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 31 (BF)The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, (BG)he who is blessed forever, (BH)knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus, the governor under King Aretas (BI)was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 (BJ)but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
Footnotes
- 2 Corinthians 11:17 Greek not according to the Lord
- 2 Corinthians 11:27 Or often in fasting
Kehillah in Corinth II 11
Orthodox Jewish Bible
11 I would that you might bear with me in a little tipshus (foolery). Do bear with me!
2 For I have kinah for you, a kinat Hashem, for, as a shadkhan (marriage broker), I betrothed you to one ish (husband) to present you as a chaste betulah to Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach; [HOSHEA 2:19; SHIR HASHIRIM; Ep 5:26-27]
3 But I fear lest somehow as the Nachash deceived Chavah by his cunning [BERESHIS 3:1-6,13] your machshavot should be led astray from a simple and pure deveykus to Moshiach.
4 For if a darshan shows up and preaches another Moshiach, another "Yehoshua" (“Yeshua”) other than the one in our drashot, or if you receive a different "Ruach Hakodesh" from the One you received or a different Besuras HaGeulah from the one regarding which you were mekabel, you put up with that well enough. [Ga 1: 8- 9]
5 For I consider to have come behind the most groise (eminent) Shlichim in absolutely nothing. [1C 15:10; 2C 12:11; Ga 2:6,9]
6 But if indeed I am unskilled in lashon [1C 1:17; 2:1,13] yet I am not in da’as (knowledge) [Ep 3:4] but in all ways and all things I have made this abundantly clear to you.
7 Or anshuldiks! (pardon!) did I commit averos by humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I proclaimed Hashem’s Besuras HaGeulah to you free of charge? [1C 9:12, 18]
8 I robbed other of Moshiach’s Kehillot, did I, in taking wages from them for the avodas kodesh work I did for you? [Pp 4:15]
9 And when I was present with you and I had lack, I did not burden anyone, [2C 12:13] for my lack was made up by the Achim b’Moshiach who came from Macedonia. So I was shomer not to make myself a burden to you and in that I will remain shomer.
10 As HaEmes of Moshiach is in me, that particular boasting of mine will not be silenced [1C 9:15] in the regions of Achaia!
11 Why? Because I do not have ahavah for you? Hashem knows that I do!
12 But what I do I will also continue to do in order to deny an opening to those who are looking for an opening by their ravrevan (braggart) boasting to be recognized as equals with us.
13 For such ones are shlichei sheker, deceitful po’alim, [Pp 3:2], transforming themselves in a masquerade as shlichim of Moshiach.
14 And no wonder! For even Hasatan transforms himself into a malach ohr (an angel of light);
15 It is no big ‘megillah,’ therefore, if also Hasatan’s ministers transform themselves as ministers of Tzedek. Their end will be according to their ma’asim.
16 Listen here, let no one think me a tipesh (idiot). But if you do think me a yold (fool), then receive me as a yold that I, too, may boast ki hu zeh (a small amount). [2C 12:6]
17 What I speak in this bitachon of boasting, I speak not according to Moshiach Adoneinu, but as a yold.
18 Als (since) many boast according to the basar, I also will boast.
19 For magnanimously you put up with fools, being such talmidei chachomim yourselves!
20 For you put up with it quite well, if anyone trades you into slavery, if anyone turns you into their supper, if anyone lifts your wallet, if anyone exalts himself into your gontser macher, if anyone gives you a klop in the ponem.
21 To my bushah, I say that we were too weak for that! But, nevertheless, in whatever way anyone may have chutzpah in foolishness, I also will speak with chutzpah.
22 Are they Ivrim? So am I. Are they Yisre’elim? So am I. Are they Zera Avraham? So am I. [Pp 3:5]
23 Are they mesharetei HaMoshiach?‖I am talking like someone who is meshuggah.‖[1C 15:10] I can outdo them: in labors more abundantly, in imprisonments more frequently, in beatings more by far, and often near death.
24 By Yehudim chamash p’amim I had the arba’im lashes minus one! [DEVARIM 25:3]
25 Shloshah p’amim I was beaten with rods, [Ac 16:10] pa’am achat I was stoned [Ac 14:19], shloshah p’amim I was shipwrecked, spending a lailah and a yom in the open sea;
26 In journeys often, in sakanot mavet (mortal danger) from rivers, in sakanot mavet from robbers, in sakanot mavet from my own people [Ac 9:23], in sakanot mavet from Goyim [Ac 14:5], in sakanot mavet in the shtetl, in sakanot mavet in the country, in sakanot mavet in the sea, in sakanot mavet among achei sheker (false brothers);
27 In labor and toil, in watchings, often in famine and thirst, in tzomot often, in cold and nakedness; [2C 6:5];
28 Beside the things from without, there is the pressure on me yom yom, the care of all of Moshiach’s Kehillot.
29 Who is weak and I am not weak? [1C 9:22] Who is caused to fall into chet (sin), and I do not burn?
30 If it is necessary for me to boast, then I will boast of my weaknesses. [2C 12:5]
31 Hashem, Elohim HaAv of HaMoshiach Yehoshua knows (Hamevorach l’olmei olamim!) that I am not speaking sheker. [2C 1:23]
32 In Damascus the Ethnarch under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus to arrest me,
33 And I was let down through the wall through a window in a basket, and escaped his hands. [Ac 9:24-25]
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