The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Corinthians

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- Kapitel 11 -

I wish that you would endure a small amount of my foolishness, so as to bear with me.(a)

For I am jealous toward you, with the jealousy of God. And I have espoused you to one husband, offering you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

But I am afraid lest, as the serpent led astray Eve by his cleverness, so your minds might be corrupted and might fall away from the simplicity which is in Christ.

For if anyone arrives preaching another Christ, one whom we have not preached; or if you receive another Spirit, one whom you have not received; or another Gospel, one which you have not been given: you might permit him to guide you.

For I consider that I have done nothing less than the great Apostles.

For although I may be unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge. But, in all things, we have been made manifest to you.

Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself so that you would be exalted? For I preached the Gospel of God to you freely.

I have taken from other churches, receiving a stipend from them to the benefit of your ministry.

And when I was with you and in need, I was burdensome to no one. For the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied whatever was lacking to me. And in all things, I have kept myself, and I will keep myself, from being burdensome to you.

The truth of Christ is in me, and so this glorying shall not be broken away from me in the regions of Achaia.

Why so? Is it because I do not love you? God knows I do.

But what I am doing, I will continue to do, so that I may take away an opportunity from those who desire an opportunity by which they may glory, so as to be considered to be like us.

For false apostles, such as these deceitful workers, are presenting themselves as if they were Apostles of Christ.

And no wonder, for even Satan presents himself as if he were an Angel of light.

Therefore, it is no great thing if his ministers present themselves as if they were ministers of justice, for their end shall be according to their works.

Paul’s Suffering and Service

(Colossians 1:24–29)

I say again. And let no one consider me to be foolish. Or, at least, accept me as if I were foolish, so that I also may glory a small amount.

What I am saying is not said according to God, but as if in foolishness, in this matter of glorying.

Since so many glory according to the flesh, I will glory also.

For you freely accept the foolish, though you yourselves claim to be wise.

For you permit it when someone guides you into servitude, even if he devours you, even if he takes from you, even if he is extolled, even if he strikes you repeatedly on the face.

I speak according to disgrace, as if we had been weak in this regard. In this matter, (I speak in foolishness) if anyone dares, I dare also.

They are Hebrews; so am I. They are Israelites; so am I. They are the offspring of Abraham; so am I.

They are the ministers of Christ (I speak as if I were less wise); more so am I: with many more labors, with numerous imprisonments, with wounds beyond measure, with frequent mortifications.

On five occasions, I received forty stripes, less one, from the Jews.

Three times, I was beaten with rods. One time, I was stoned. Three times, I was shipwrecked. For a night and a day, I was in the depths of the sea.

I have made frequent journeys, through dangerous waters, in danger of robbers, in danger from my own nation, in danger from the Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the wilderness, in danger in the sea, in danger from false brothers,

with hardships and difficulties, with much vigilance, in hunger and thirst, with frequent fasts, in cold and nakedness,

and, in addition to these things, which are external: there is my daily earnestness and solicitude for all the churches.(b)

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is scandalized, and I am not being burned?

If it is necessary to glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weaknesses.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

At Damascus, the governor of the nation under Aretas the king, watched over the city of the Damascenes, so as to apprehend me.

And, through a window, I was let down along the wall in a basket; and so I escaped his hands.

Fußnoten

(a)11:1 My folly:So he calls his reciting his own praises, which, commonly speaking is looked upon as a piece of folly and vanity; though the apostle was constrained to do it, for the good of the souls committed to his charge.(Challoner)

(b)11:28 My daily instance:The labours that come in, and press upon me every day.(Challoner)

I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you do bear with me.

For I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you in marriage to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

But I am afraid that somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve in his craftiness, so your minds might be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we didn’t preach, or if you receive a different spirit which you didn’t receive, or a different “good news” which you didn’t accept, you put up with that well enough.

For I reckon that I am not at all behind the very best apostles.

But though I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not unskilled in knowledge. No, in every way we have been revealed to you in all things.

Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached to you God’s Good News free of charge?

I robbed other assemblies, taking wages from them that I might serve you.

When I was present with you and was in need, I wasn’t a burden on anyone, for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my need. In everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and I will continue to do so.

As the truth of Christ is in me, no one will stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia.

Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows.

But what I do, that I will continue to do, that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity, that in which they boast, they may be recognized just like us.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as Christ’s apostles.

And no wonder, for even Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

Paul’s Suffering and Service

(Colossians 1:24–29)

I say again, let no one think me foolish. But if so, yet receive me as foolish, that I also may boast a little.

That which I speak, I don’t speak according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

Seeing that many boast after the flesh, I will also boast.

For you bear with the foolish gladly, being wise.

For you bear with a man if he brings you into bondage, if he devours you, if he takes you captive, if he exalts himself, or if he strikes you on the face.

To my shame, I speak as though we had been weak. Yet in whatever way anyone is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the offspring(a) of Abraham? So am I.

Are they servants of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself.) I am more so: in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, and in deaths often.

Five times I received forty stripes minus one from the Jews.

Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

I have been in travels often, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from my countrymen, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the wilderness, perils in the sea, perils among false brothers;

in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, and in cold and nakedness.

Besides those things that are outside, there is that which presses on me daily: anxiety for all the assemblies.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is caused to stumble, and I don’t burn with indignation?

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that concern my weakness.

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, he who is blessed forever more, knows that I don’t lie.

In Damascus the governor under King Aretas guarded the Damascenes’ city, desiring to arrest me.

I was let down in a basket through a window by the wall, and escaped his hands.

Fußnoten

(a)11:22 or, seed