Book of Common Prayer

Paul (with reluctance) commends himself, and defends his authority against the false prophets.

11 I would you could suffer me a little in my foolishness, yea and I ask you to bear with me. ² For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy. For I espoused you to one man, to present you a chaste virgin to Christ. ³ But I fear that, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. ⁴ For if he who comes preaches another Jesus than him whom we preached, or if you are given another spirit than that which you were given, or another gospel than that which you were given, you might right well be content.

⁵ I suppose that I was not behind the chief apostles. ⁶ Though I be poor in speaking, yet I am not so in knowledge. However, among you we are known to the utmost, who we are in all things. ⁷ Did I sin, because I humbled myself so that you could be exalted, and because I preached to you the gospel of God free? ⁸ I robbed other congregations, and took support from them in order to serve you. ⁹ And when I was present with you and had need, I was a burden to no one, for that which was lacking to me, the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in all things I kept myself so that I would not be burdensome to you. And I will continue so to keep myself. ¹⁰ If the truth of Christ is in me, this claim will not be taken from me in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows. ¹² Nevertheless, what I do, that I will continue to do, so as to cut away occasion from those who desire occasion to seem like us in the things that they claim.

¹³ For the false apostles are deceitful workers, and fashion themselves to be like the apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself is changed into the fashion of an angel of light. ¹⁵ Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers fashion themselves as though they were the ministers of righteousness – whose end shall be according to their deeds.

¹⁶ I say again, lest anyone think that I am foolish, or else even now take me as a fool if I boast a little, ¹⁷ that what I am saying I do not say after the ways of the Lord, but as it were foolishly, since we have now come to boasting. ¹⁸ Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will boast also. ¹⁹ For you suffer fools gladly, because you yourselves are wise. ²⁰ For you oblige even if a man brings you into bondage, if a man devours, if a man takes, if a man exalts himself, if a man strikes you on the face. ²¹ I speak by way of rebuke. As if we were weak!

However, in any point a man dares to presume (I speak foolishly), I dare to presume also:

¹⁶ Moreover, when you fast, do not be sad like the hypocrites are. For they disfigure their faces so they may be seen by men, how they fast. Truly I say to you, they have their reward. ¹⁷ But you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, ¹⁸ so that it does not appear to men that you are fasting, but to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

¹⁹ See that you do not gather for yourselves treasure upon the earth, where rust and moths destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But gather treasures together in heaven, where neither rust nor moths destroy, and where thieves do not break in or steal. ²¹ For wherever your treasure is, there will your hearts be also.

²² The light of the body is your eye. Therefore if your eye is single, all your body will be full of light. ²³ But if your eye is bad, then all your body will be full of darkness. Therefore if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness!