2 Corinthians 10-13

New American Standard Bible 1995

Paul Describes Himself

10 Now ^(A)I, Paul, myself ^(B)urge you by the ^(C)meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who ^(D)am ^[a]meek when face to face with you, but bold toward you when absent! ² I ask that ^(E)when I am present I need not be bold with the confidence with which I propose to be courageous against ^(F)some, who regard us as if we walked ^(G)according to the flesh. ³ For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war ^(H)according to the flesh, ⁴ for the ^(I)weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but ^[b]divinely powerful ^(J)for the destruction of fortresses. ⁵ We are destroying speculations and every ^(K)lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the ^(L)obedience of Christ, ⁶ and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever ^(M)your obedience is complete.

^7 [c](N)You are looking at ^[d]things as they are outwardly. ^(O)If anyone is confident in himself that he is Christ’s, let him consider this again within himself, that just as he is Christ’s, ^(P)so also are we. ⁸ For even if ^(Q)I boast somewhat ^[e]further about our ^(R)authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be put to shame, ^9 [f]for I do not wish to seem as if I would terrify you by my letters. ¹⁰ For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his ^[g]personal presence is ^(S)unimpressive and ^(T)his speech contemptible.” ¹¹ Let such a person consider this, that what we are in word by letters when absent, such persons we are also in deed when present.

¹² For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with ^[h]some of those who ^(U)commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding. ¹³ But we will not boast ^(V)beyond our measure, but ^[i](W)within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned to us as a measure, to reach even as far as you. ¹⁴ For we are not overextending ourselves, as if we did not reach to you, for ^(X)we were the first to come even as far as you in the ^(Y)gospel of Christ; ¹⁵ not boasting ^(Z)beyond our measure, that is, in ^(AA)other men’s labors, but with the hope that as ^(AB)your faith grows, we will be, ^[j]within our sphere, ^(AC)enlarged even more by you, ¹⁶ so as to ^(AD)preach the gospel even to ^(AE)the regions beyond you, and not to boast ^[k](AF)in what has been accomplished in the sphere of another. ¹⁷ But ^(AG)he who boasts is to boast in the Lord. ¹⁸ For it is not he who ^(AH)commends himself that is approved, but he ^(AI)whom the Lord commends.

Paul Defends His Apostleship

11 I wish that you would ^(AJ)bear with me in a little ^(AK)foolishness; but ^[l]indeed you are bearing with me. ² For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I ^(AL)betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might ^(AM)present you as a pure virgin. ³ But I am afraid that, as the ^(AN)serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if ^[m]one comes and preaches ^(AO)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ^(AP)different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(AQ)different gospel which you have not accepted, you ^(AR)bear this ^(AS)beautifully. ⁵ For I consider myself ^(AT)not in the least inferior to the ^[n]most eminent apostles. ⁶ But even if I am ^(AU)unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in ^(AV)knowledge; in fact, in every way we have ^(AW)made this evident to you in all things.

⁷ Or ^(AX)did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ^(AY)gospel of God to you ^(AZ)without charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by ^(BA)taking wages from them to serve you; ⁹ and when I was present with you and was in need, I was ^(BB)not a burden to anyone; for when ^(BC)the brethren came from ^(BD)Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from ^(BE)being a burden to you, ^[o]and will continue to do so. ^10 (BF)As the truth of Christ is in me, ^(BG)this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of ^(BH)Achaia. ¹¹ Why? ^(BI)Because I do not love you? ^(BJ)God knows I do!

¹² But what I am doing I will continue to do, ^(BK)so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be ^[p]regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting. ¹³ For such men are ^(BL)false apostles, ^(BM)deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ No wonder, for even ^(BN)Satan disguises himself as an ^(BO)angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, ^(BP)whose end will be according to their deeds.

^16 (BQ)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 ^[q](BR)as the Lord would, but as ^(BS)in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. ¹⁸ Since ^(BT)many boast ^(BU)according to the flesh, I will boast also. ¹⁹ For you, ^(BV)being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly. ²⁰ For you tolerate it if anyone ^(BW)enslaves you, anyone ^(BX)devours you, anyone ^(BY)takes advantage of you, anyone ^(BZ)exalts himself, anyone ^(CA)hits you in the face. ²¹ To my ^(CB)shame I must say that we have been ^(CC)weak by comparison.

But in whatever respect anyone else ^(CD)is bold—I ^(CE)speak in foolishness—I am just as bold myself. ²² Are they ^(CF)Hebrews? ^(CG)So am I. Are they ^(CH)Israelites? ^(CI)So am I. Are they ^[r](CJ)descendants of Abraham? ^(CK)So am I. ²³ Are they ^(CL)servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in ^[s](CM)far more labors, in ^[t](CN)far more imprisonments, ^[u](CO)beaten times without number, often in ^(CP)danger of death. ²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews ^(CQ)thirty-nine lashes. ²⁵ Three times I was ^(CR)beaten with rods, once I was ^(CS)stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. ²⁶ I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my ^(CT)countrymen, dangers from the ^(CU)Gentiles, dangers in the ^(CV)city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among ^(CW)false brethren; ²⁷ I have been in ^(CX)labor and hardship, ^[v]through many sleepless nights, in ^(CY)hunger and thirst, often ^(CZ)without food, in cold and ^[w](DA)exposure. ²⁸ Apart from such ^[x]external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for ^(DB)all the churches. ²⁹ Who is ^(DC)weak without my being weak? Who is ^[y]led into sin ^[z]without my intense concern?

³⁰ If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my ^(DD)weakness. ³¹ The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, ^(DE)He who is blessed forever, ^(DF)knows that I am not lying. ³² In ^(DG)Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was ^(DH)guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me, ³³ and I was let down in a basket ^(DI)through a window ^[aa]in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Paul’s Vision

12 ^(DJ)Boasting is necessary, though it is not profitable; but I will go on to visions and ^(DK)revelations ^[ab]of the Lord. ² I know a man ^(DL)in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, ^(DM)God knows—such a man was ^(DN)caught up to the ^(DO)third heaven. ³ And I know how such a man—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, ^(DP)God knows— ⁴ was ^(DQ)caught up into ^(DR)Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. ^5 (DS)On behalf of such a man I will boast; but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in regard to my ^(DT)weaknesses. ⁶ For if I do wish to boast I will not be ^(DU)foolish, ^(DV)for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain from this, so that no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me.

A Thorn in the Flesh

⁷ Because of the surpassing greatness of the ^(DW)revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a ^(DX)thorn in the flesh, a ^(DY)messenger of Satan to ^[ac]torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! ⁸ Concerning this I implored the Lord ^(DZ)three times that it might leave me. ⁹ And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for ^(EA)power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather ^(EB)boast ^[ad]about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. ¹⁰ Therefore ^(EC)I am well content with weaknesses, with ^[ae]insults, with ^(ED)distresses, with ^(EE)persecutions, with ^(EF)difficulties, ^(EG)for Christ’s sake; for ^(EH)when I am weak, then I am strong.

¹¹ I have become ^(EI)foolish; you yourselves compelled me. Actually I should have been commended by you, for ^(EJ)in no respect was I inferior to the ^[af]most eminent apostles, even though ^(EK)I am a nobody. ¹² The ^[ag](EL)signs ^[ah]of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance, by ^[ai]signs and wonders and ^[aj]miracles. ¹³ For in what respect were you treated as inferior to the rest of the churches, except that ^(EM)I myself did not become a burden to you? Forgive me ^(EN)this wrong!

¹⁴ Here ^(EO)for this third time I am ready to come to you, and I ^(EP)will not be a burden to you; for I ^(EQ)do not seek what is yours, but ^(ER)you; for ^(ES)children are not responsible to save up for their parents, but ^(ET)parents for their children. ¹⁵ I will ^(EU)most gladly spend and be expended for your souls. If ^(EV)I love you more, am I to be loved less? ¹⁶ But be that as it may, I ^(EW)did not burden you myself; nevertheless, crafty fellow that I am, I ^(EX)took you in by deceit. ^17 (EY)Certainly I have not taken advantage of you through any of those whom I have sent to you, have I? ¹⁸ I ^(EZ)urged ^(FA)Titus to go, and I sent ^(FB)the brother with him. Titus did not take any advantage of you, did he? Did we not ^[ak]conduct ourselves ^[al]in the same ^(FC)spirit and walk ^(FD)in the same steps?

¹⁹ All this time ^[am]you have been thinking that we are defending ourselves to you. Actually, ^(FE)it is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ; and ^(FF)all for your upbuilding, ^(FG)beloved. ²⁰ For I am afraid that perhaps ^(FH)when I come I may find you to be not what I wish and may be found by you to be not what you wish; that perhaps there will be ^(FI)strife, jealousy, ^(FJ)angry tempers, ^(FK)disputes, ^(FL)slanders, ^(FM)gossip, ^(FN)arrogance, ^(FO)disturbances; ²¹ I am afraid that when I come again my God may humiliate me before you, and I may mourn over many of those who have ^(FP)sinned in the past and not repented of the ^(FQ)impurity, ^[an]immorality and sensuality which they have practiced.

Examine Yourselves

13 ^(FR)This is the third time I am coming to you. ^(FS)Every ^[ao]fact ^[ap]is to be confirmed by the ^[aq]testimony of two or three witnesses. ² I have previously said when present the second time, and though now absent I say in advance to those who have ^(FT)sinned in the past and to all the rest as well, that ^(FU)if I come again I will not ^(FV)spare anyone, ³ since you are ^(FW)seeking for proof of the ^(FX)Christ who speaks in me, and who is not weak toward you, but ^(FY)mighty in you. ⁴ For indeed He was ^(FZ)crucified because of weakness, yet He lives ^(GA)because of the power of God. For we also are ^(GB)weak ^[ar]in Him, yet ^(GC)we will live with Him because of the power of God directed toward you.

^5 (GD)Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; ^(GE)examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you ^[as](GF)fail the test? ⁶ But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves ^[at]do not fail the test. ⁷ Now we pray to God that you do no wrong; not that we ourselves may appear approved, but that you may do what is right, even though we may ^[au]appear unapproved. ⁸ For we can do nothing against the truth, but only for the truth. ⁹ For we rejoice when we ourselves are ^(GG)weak but you are strong; this we also pray for, ^[av]that you be ^(GH)made complete. ¹⁰ For this reason I am writing these things while absent, so that when present ^(GI)I need not use ^(GJ)severity, in accordance with the ^(GK)authority which the Lord gave me for building up and not for tearing down.

^11 (GL)Finally, brethren, ^[aw]rejoice, ^[ax](GM)be made complete, be comforted, ^(GN)be like-minded, ^(GO)live in peace; and ^(GP)the God of love and peace will be with you. ^12 (GQ)Greet one another with a holy kiss. ^13 (GR)All the ^[ay]saints greet you.

^14 (GS)The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the ^(GT)love of God, and the ^(GU)fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.