³² but I ^(A)have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, ^(B)strengthen your brothers.”

¹¹ so that no advantage would be taken of us by ^(A)Satan, for ^(B)we are not ignorant of his schemes.

³ But I am afraid that, as the ^(A)serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. ⁴ For if ^[a]one comes and preaches ^(B)another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a ^(C)different spirit which you have not received, or a ^(D)different gospel which you have not accepted, you ^(E)bear this ^(F)beautifully. ⁵ For I consider myself ^(G)not in the least inferior to the ^[b]most eminent apostles. ⁶ But even if I am ^(H)unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in ^(I)knowledge; in fact, in every way we have ^(J)made this evident to you in all things.

⁷ Or ^(K)did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the ^(L)gospel of God to you ^(M)without charge? ⁸ I robbed other churches by ^(N)taking wages from them to serve you; ⁹ and when I was present with you and was in need, I was ^(O)not a burden to anyone; for when ^(P)the brethren came from ^(Q)Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from ^(R)being a burden to you, ^[c]and will continue to do so. ^10 (S)As the truth of Christ is in me, ^(T)this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of ^(U)Achaia. ¹¹ Why? ^(V)Because I do not love you? ^(W)God knows I do!

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

^16 [a]in addition to all, taking up the ^(A)shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the ^(B)flaming arrows of ^(C)the evil one.