Would that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: {Or, nay indeed bear with me}but indeed ye do bear with me.
For I am jealous over you with {Greek: a jealously of God.}a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.
But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your {Greek: thoughts. See chapter 3:14.}minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different {Greek: good tidings. See marginal note on chapter 2:12.}gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.
For I reckon that I am not a whit behind {Or, those preeminent apostles}the very chiefest apostles.
But though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowledge; {Or, nay, in everything we have made it manifest among all men to you-ward}nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things.
Or did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I {Greek: brought good tidings. See chapter 10:16}preached to you the gospel of God for nought?
I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you;
and when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want; and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.
As the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia.
Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off {Greek: the occasion of them.}occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.
And no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.
It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
I say again, Let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little.
That which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying.
Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.
For ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.
For ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face.
I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any 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 seed of Abraham? so am I.
Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;
in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my {Greek: race. Compare Acts 7:19.}countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;
in labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.
{Or, Besides the things which I omit Or, Besides the things that come out of course}Besides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.
Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not?
If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.
{Or, God and the Father See Romans 15:6.}The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed {Greek: unto the ages.}for evermore knoweth that I lie not.
In Damascus the {Greek: ethnarch.}governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me:
and through a window was I let down in a basket by the wall, and escaped his hands.
Querverweise zu 2. Korinther 11,23 2Kor 11,23
who also made us sufficient as ministers of a new covenant; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
For I reckon that I am not a whit behind {Or, those preeminent apostles}the very chiefest apostles.
But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not found {Or, void}vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.
{Or, but we ourselves}yea, we ourselves have had the {Greek: answer.}sentence of death within ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God who raiseth the dead:
but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much {Or, stedfastness}patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
I am become foolish: ye compelled me; for I ought to have been commended of you: for in nothing was I behind {Or, those preeminent apostles}the very chiefest apostles, though I am nothing.
whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which worketh in me {Or, in power}mightily.
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;
who, having received such a charge, cast them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks.
who delivered us out of so great a death, and will deliver: on whom we have {Some ancient authorities read set our hope; and still will he deliver us.}set our hope that he will also still deliver us;
What then is Apollos? and what is Paul? Ministers through whom ye believed; and each as the Lord gave to him.
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all {Or, stedfastness}patience, by signs and wonders and {Greek: powers.}mighty works.
but in everything commending ourselves, as ministers of God, in much {Or, stedfastness}patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses,
save that the Holy Spirit testifieth unto me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me.
For we who live are always delivered unto death for Jesus' sake, that the life also of Jesus may be manifested in our mortal flesh.
Let a man so account of us, as of ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.
in stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in watchings, in fastings;
And coming to us, and taking Paul's girdle, he bound his own feet and hands, and said, Thus saith the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.
as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed;
and sent Timothy, our brother and {Some ancient authorities read fellow-worker with God.}God's minister in the {Greek: good tidings. See chapter 1:5.}gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith;
for I will show him how many things he must suffer for my name's sake.
He hoped withal that money would be given him of Paul: wherefore also he sent for him the oftener, and communed with him.
But there came Jews thither from Antioch and Iconium: and having persuaded the multitudes, they stoned Paul, and dragged him out of the city, supposing that he was dead.
If thou put the brethren in mind of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished in the words of the faith, and of the good doctrine which thou hast followed until now:
But when two years were fulfilled, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; and desiring to gain favor with the Jews, Felix left Paul in bonds.
why do we also stand in jeopardy every hour?
I protest by {Or, your glorying}that glorying in you, brethren, which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
If after the manner of men I fought with beasts at Ephesus, {Or, what doth it profit me, if the dead are not raised? Let us eat &c.}what doth it profit me? If the dead are not raised, let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die.
And as they tarried there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the King, saying, There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix;
Yea, and if I am {Greek: poured out as a drink-offering.}offered upon the sacrifice and service of your faith, I joy, and rejoice with you all:
And when it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners to a centurion named Julius, of the Augustan {Or, cohort}band.
Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and fill up on my part that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church;
And when we entered into Rome, {Some ancient authorities insert the centurion delivered the prisoners to the Chief of the camp: but &c.}Paul was suffered to abide by himself with the soldier that guarded him.
And he abode two whole years in his own hired dwelling, and received all that went in unto him,
For this cause I Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus in behalf of you Gentiles,—
I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called,
for which I am an ambassador in {Greek: a chain.}chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
so that my bonds became manifest in Christ {Greek: in the whole Prætorium.}throughout the whole praetorian guard, and to all the rest;
Be not ashamed therefore of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but suffer hardship with the {Greek: good tidings; and so elsewhere. See marginal note on Matthew 4:23.}gospel according to the power of God;
The Lord grant mercy unto the house of Onesiphorus: for he oft refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain;
wherein I suffer hardship unto bonds, as a malefactor; but the word of God is not bound.
yet for love's sake I rather beseech, being such a one as Paul {Or, an ambassador, and now & c.}the aged, and now a prisoner also of Christ Jesus:
For ye both had compassion on them that were in bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your possessions, knowing that {Many ancient authorities read ye have your own selves for a better possession &c. Compare Luke 9:25; 21:19.}ye have for yourselves a better possession and an abiding one.