2 Corinthians 11 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

Paul and the False Apostles

2Co 11:1I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me.

2Co 11:2For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride[fn] to one husband—Christ.

2Co 11:3

2Co 11:3But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

2Co 11:4

2Co 11:4You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

2Co 11:5

2Co 11:5But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things.

2Co 11:6

2Co 11:6I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.

2Co 11:7

2Co 11:7Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?

2Co 11:8

2Co 11:8I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.

2Co 11:9

2Co 11:9And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.

2Co 11:10

2Co 11:10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece[fn] will ever stop me from boasting about this.

2Co 11:11

2Co 11:11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.

2Co 11:12

2Co 11:12But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours.

2Co 11:13

2Co 11:13These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.

2Co 11:14

2Co 11:14But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

2Co 11:15

2Co 11:15So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve.

Paul’s Many Trials

2Co 11:16

2Co 11:16Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little.

2Co 11:17

2Co 11:17Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.

2Co 11:18

2Co 11:18And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too.

2Co 11:19

2Co 11:19After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!

2Co 11:20

2Co 11:20You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.

2Co 11:21

2Co 11:21I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that!
But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too.

2Co 11:22

2Co 11:22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

2Co 11:23

2Co 11:23Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.

2Co 11:24

2Co 11:24Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.

2Co 11:25

2Co 11:25Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.

2Co 11:26

2Co 11:26I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.[fn]

2Co 11:27

2Co 11:27I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

2Co 11:28

2Co 11:28Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

2Co 11:29

2Co 11:29Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

2Co 11:30

2Co 11:30If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

2Co 11:31

2Co 11:31God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.

2Co 11:32

2Co 11:32When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me.

2Co 11:33

2Co 11:33I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.

See the NLT Preface (Especially for Parenthesis, Brackets, & Asterisks).

NLT Footnotes

(11:2)

Greek a virgin.

(11:10)

Greek Achaia, the southern region of the Greek peninsula.

(11:26)

Greek from false brothers.

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For more information on this translation, see the NLT Preface.

2 Corinthians Chapter 11 — Additional Translations:

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2 Corinthians 11 :: New Living Translation (NLT)

NLT Footnotes

2 Corinthians Chapter 11 — Additional Translations:

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