{Some ancient authorities read Now to glory is not expedient, but i will come &c.}I must needs glory, though it is not expedient; but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
I know a man in Christ, fourteen years ago (whether in the body, I know not; or whether out of the body, I know not; God knoweth), such a one caught up even to the third heaven.
And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth),
how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses.
For if I should desire to glory, I shall not be foolish; for I shall speak the truth: but I forbear, lest any man should account of me above that which he seeth me to be, or heareth from me.
And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the {Some ancient authorities read revelations—wherefore, that &c.}revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a {Or, stake}thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.
Concerning this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.
And he hath said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my power is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may {Or, cover me Greek: spread a tabernacle over me. See Revelation 7:15.}rest upon me.
Wherefore I take pleasure in weaknesses, in injuries, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.
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.
Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all {Or, stedfastness}patience, by signs and wonders and {Greek: powers.}mighty works.
For what is there wherein ye were made inferior to the rest of the churches, except it be that I myself was not a burden to you? forgive me this wrong.
Behold, this is the third time I am ready to come to you; and I will not be a burden to you: for I seek not yours, but you: for the children ought not to lay up for the parents, but the parents for the children.
And I will most gladly spend and be {Greek: spent out.}spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved the less?
But be it so, I did not myself burden you; but, being crafty, I caught you with guile.
Did I take advantage of you by any one of them whom I have sent unto you?
I exhorted Titus, and I sent the brother with him. Did Titus take any advantage of you? walked we not {Or, by the same Spirit}in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?
{Or, Think ye…you?}Ye think all this time that we are excusing ourselves unto you. In the sight of God speak we in Christ. But all things, beloved, are for your edifying.
For I fear, lest by any means, when I come, I should find you not such as I would, and should myself be found of you such as ye would not; lest by any means there should be strife, jealousy, wraths, factions, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, {Or, disorders}tumults;
lest again when I come my God should humble me before you, and I should mourn for many of them that have sinned heretofore, and repented not of the uncleanness and fornication and lasciviousness which they committed.
Querverweise zu 2. Korinther 12,2 2Kor 12,2
And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth),
Wherefore if any man is in Christ, {Or, there is a new creation}he is a new creature: the old things are passed away; behold, they are become new.
Being therefore always of good courage, and knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord
(for we walk by faith, not by {Greek: appearance.}sight);
we are of good courage, I say, and are willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be at home with the Lord.
And I know such a man (whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know not; God knoweth),
how that he was caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
and let them be for lights in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
And God made the two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
And God set them in the firmament of heaven to give light upon the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
And God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth {Hebrew: on the face of the expanse of the heavens.}in the open firmament of heaven.
On behalf of such a one will I glory: but on mine own behalf I will not glory, save in my weaknesses.
Him who knew no sin he made to be sin on our behalf; that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
And it will come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of Jehovah will carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he will slay me: but I thy servant fear Jehovah from my youth.
Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.
And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he parted from them, {Some ancient authorities omit and was carried up into heaven.}and was carried up into heaven.
But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded!
Try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. Or know ye not as to your own selves, that Jesus Christ is in you? unless indeed ye be reprobate.
And they said unto him, Behold now, there are with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we pray thee, and seek thy master, lest the Spirit of Jehovah hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said, Ye shall not send.
then we that are alive, that are left, shall together with them be caught up in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
Only in Jehovah, it is said of me, is righteousness and strength; even to him shall men come; and all they that were incensed against him shall be put to shame.
And it came to pass in the sixth year, in the sixth month, in the fifth day of the month, as I sat in my house, and the elders of Judah sat before me, that the hand of the Lord Jehovah fell there upon me.
Then I beheld, and, lo, a likeness as the appearance of fire; from the appearance of his loins and downward, fire; and from his loins and upward, as the appearance of brightness, {Or, as amber to look upon}as it were glowing metal.
And he put forth the form of a hand, and took me by a lock of my head; and the Spirit lifted me up between earth and heaven, and brought me in the visions of God to Jerusalem, to the door of the gate of the inner court that looketh toward the north; where was the seat of the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy.
For Christ entered not into a holy place made with hands, like in pattern to the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear before the face of God for us:
In Jehovah shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.
And the Spirit lifted me up, and brought me in the vision by the Spirit of God into Chaldea, to them of the captivity. So the vision that I had seen went up from me.
And she was delivered of a son, a man child, who is to rule all the {Greek: Gentiles}nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and unto his throne.
He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood abideth in me, and I in him.
And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip; and the eunuch saw him no more, for he went on his way rejoicing.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same beareth much fruit: for apart from me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
But Philip was found at Azotus: and passing through he preached the gospel to all the cities, till he came to Cæsarea.
that they may all be one; even as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be in us: that the world may believe that thou didst send me.
And the glory which thou hast given me I have given unto them; that they may be one, even as we are one;
I in them, and thou in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that thou didst send me, and lovedst them, even as thou lovedst me.
And it came to pass, that, when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance,
There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
{Or, But if to live in the flesh be my lot, this is the fruit of my work: and what I shall choose I know not.}But if to live in the flesh, — if {Greek: this is for me fruit of work.}this shall bring fruit from my work, then {Or, what shall I choose?}what I shall choose I know not.
Salute Andronicus and {Or, Junia}Junias, my kinsmen, and my fellow-prisoners, who are of note among the apostles, who also have been in Christ before me.
But I am in a strait betwixt the two, having the desire to depart and be with Christ; for it is very far better:
But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, {Or, both rightousness and sanctification and redemption}and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption:
I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and I heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet
And I was still unknown by face unto the churches of Judæa which were in Christ:
Straightway I was in the Spirit: and behold, there was a throne set in heaven, and one sitting upon the throne;
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith {Or, wrought}working through love.