2 Corinthians 11 (NET)

Paul and His Opponents

1 I wish that you would be patient with me in a little foolishness, but indeed you are being patient with me! 2 For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy, because I promised you in marriage to one husband,1 to present you as a pure2 virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that3 just as the serpent4 deceived Eve by his treachery,5 your minds may be led astray6 from a sincere and pure7 devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes and proclaims8 another Jesus different from the one we proclaimed,9 or if you receive a different spirit than the one you received,10 or a different gospel than the one you accepted,11 you put up with it well enough!12 5 For I consider myself not at all inferior to those “super-apostles.”13 6 And even if I am unskilled14 in speaking, yet I am certainly not so in knowledge. Indeed, we have made this plain to you in everything in every way. 7 Or did I commit a sin by humbling myself15 so that you could be exalted, because I proclaimed16 the gospel of God to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by receiving support from them so that I could serve you!17 9 When18 I was with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia fully supplied my needs.19 I20 kept myself from being a burden to you in any way, and will continue to do so. 10 As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine21 will not be stopped22 in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!23 12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may eliminate any opportunity for those who want a chance to be regarded as our equals24 in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful25 workers, disguising themselves26 as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself27 as an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is not surprising his servants also disguise themselves28 as servants of righteousness, whose end will correspond to their actions.29

Paul’s Sufferings for Christ

16 I say again, let no one think that I am a fool.30 But if you do, then at least accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence31 I do not say the way the Lord would.32 Instead it is, as it were, foolishness. 18 Since many33 are boasting according to human standards,34 I too will boast. 19 For since you are so wise, you put up with35 fools gladly. 20 For you put up with36 it if someone makes slaves of you, if someone exploits you, if someone takes advantage of you, if someone behaves arrogantly37 toward you, if someone strikes you in the face. 21 (To my disgrace38 I must say that we were too weak for that!)39 But whatever anyone else dares to boast about40 (I am speaking foolishly), I also dare to boast about the same thing.41 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking like I am out of my mind!) I am even more so: with much greater labors, with far more imprisonments, with more severe beatings, facing death many times. 24 Five times I received from the Jews forty lashes less one.42 25 Three times I was beaten with a rod.43 Once I received a stoning.44 Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea. 26 I have been on journeys many times, in dangers from rivers, in dangers from robbers,45 in dangers from my own countrymen, in dangers from Gentiles, in dangers in the city, in dangers in the wilderness,46 in dangers at sea, in dangers from false brothers, 27 in hard work and toil,47 through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, many times without food, in cold and without enough clothing.48 28 Apart from other things,49 there is the daily pressure on me of my anxious concern50 for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin,51 and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast,52 I will boast about the things that show my weakness.53 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is blessed forever, knows I am not lying. 32 In Damascus, the governor54 under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus55 in order to arrest56 me, 33 but I was let down in a rope-basket57 through a window in the city wall, and escaped his hands.

111:2tn That is, to Christ. 211:2tn Or “chaste.” 311:3tn Grk “I fear lest somehow.” 411:3tn Or “the snake.” 511:3tn Or “craftiness.” 611:3tn Or “corrupted,” “seduced.” 711:3tc Although most mss (א² H Ψ 0121 0243 1739 1881 Ï) lack “and pure” (καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος, kai th" Jagnothto"; Grk “and purity”) several important and early witnesses (Ì⁴⁶ א* B D^[2] F G 33 81 104 pc ar r co) retain these words. Their presence in such mss across such a wide geographical distribution argues for their authenticity. The omission from the majority of mss can be explained by haplography, since the -τητος ending of ἁγνότητος is identical to the ending of ἁπλότητος (Japlothto", “sincerity”) three words back (ἁπλότητος καὶ τῆς ἁγνότητος); further, since the meanings of “sincerity” and “purity” are similar they might seem redundant. A copyist would scarcely notice the omission because Paul’s statement still makes sense without “and from purity.” 811:4tn Or “preaches.” 911:4tn Grk “another Jesus whom we have not proclaimed.” 1011:4tn Grk “a different spirit which you did not receive.” 1111:4tn Grk “a different gospel which you did not accept.” 1211:4tn Or “you endure it very well.” 1311:5tn The implicit irony in Paul’s remark is brought out well by the TEV: “I do not think that I am the least bit inferior to those very special so-called ‘apostles’ of yours!”sn The ‘super-apostles’ refers either (1) to the original apostles (the older interpretation) or (2) more probably, to Paul’s opponents in Corinth, in which case the designation is ironic. 1411:6sn Unskilled in speaking means not professionally trained as a rhetorician. 1511:7sn Paul is referring to humbling himself to the point of doing manual labor to support himself. 1611:7tn Or “preached.” 1711:8sn That is, serve them free of charge (cf. the end of v. 7). 1811:9tn Grk “you, and when.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. 1911:9tn If the participle ἐλθόντες (elqonte") is taken as temporal rather than adjectival, the translation would be, “for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, fully supplied my needs” (similar to NASB). 2011:9tn Grk “needs, and I kept.” A new sentence was started here in the translation. 2111:10tn That is, that Paul offers the gospel free of charge to the Corinthians (see 2 Cor 11:7). 2211:10tn Or “silenced.” 2311:11tn Grk “God knows!” The words “I do” are supplied for clarity. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context. 2411:12tn Grk “an opportunity, so that they may be found just like us.” 2511:13tn Or “dishonest.” 2611:13tn Or “workers, masquerading.” 2711:14tn Or “Satan himself masquerades.” 2811:15tn Or “also masquerade.” 2911:15tn Or “their works.” 3011:16tn Or “am foolish.” 3111:17tn Grk “with this confidence of boasting.” The genitive καυχήσεως (kauchsew") has been translated as an attributed genitive (the noun in the genitive gives an attribute of the noun modified). 3211:17tn Or “say with the Lord’s authority.” 3311:18sn Many is a reference to Paul’s opponents. 3411:18tn Grk “according to the flesh.” 3511:19tn Or “you tolerate.” 3611:20tn Or “you tolerate.” 3711:20tn See L&N 88.212. 3811:21tn Or “my shame.” 3911:21sn It seems best, in context, to see the statement we were too weak for that as a parenthetical and ironic comment by Paul on his physical condition (weakness or sickness) while he was with the Corinthians (cf. 2 Cor 12:7-10; Gal 4:15). 4011:21tn The words “to boast about” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb. 4111:21tn Grk “I also dare”; the words “to boast about the same thing” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, and this phrase serves as the direct object of the preceding verb. 4211:24tn Grk “forty less one”; this was a standard sentence. “Lashes” is supplied to clarify for the modern reader what is meant. 4311:25sn Beaten with a rod refers to the Roman punishment of admonitio according to BDAG 902 s.v. ῥαβδίζω. Acts 16:22 describes one of these occasions in Philippi; in this case it was administered by the city magistrates, who had wide powers in a military colony. 4411:25sn Received a stoning. See Acts 14:19, where this incident is described. 4511:26tn Or “bandits.” The word normally refers more to highwaymen (“robbers”) but can also refer to insurrectionists or revolutionaries (“bandits”). 4611:26tn Or “desert.” 4711:27tn The two different words for labor are translated “in hard work and toil” by L&N 42.48. 4811:27tn Grk “in cold and nakedness.” Paul does not mean complete nakedness, however, which would have been repugnant to a Jew; he refers instead to the lack of sufficient clothing, especially in cold weather. A related word is used to 1 Cor 4:11, also in combination with experiencing hunger and thirst. 4911:28sn Apart from other things. Paul refers here either (1) to the external sufferings just mentioned, or (2) he refers to other things he has left unmentioned. 5011:28tn “Anxious concern,” so translated in L&N 25.224. 5111:29tn Or “who is caused to stumble.” 5211:30tn Grk “If boasting is necessary.” 5311:30tn Or “about the things related to my weakness.” 5411:32tn Grk “ethnarch.”sn The governor was an official called an ethnarch who was appointed to rule over a particular area or constituency on behalf of a king. 5511:32tn Grk “the city of the Damascenes.” 5611:32tn Or “to seize,” “to catch.” 5711:33tn In Acts 9:25 the same basket used in Paul’s escape is called a σπυρίς (spuri"), a basket larger than a κόφινος (kofinos). It was very likely made out of rope, so the translation “rope-basket” is used.