Chapter 10 -1 I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and

gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you,

but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that when I

am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence

as I count on showing against some who suspect us of walking

according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are

not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our

warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy

strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion

raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought

captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience,

when your obedience is complete.

7 Look at what is before your eyes. If anyone is confident that he

is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is Christ’s, so also

are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of our authority,

which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying

you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be

frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are

weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his

speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what

we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we

dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are

commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by

one another and compare themselves with one another, they are

without understanding.

13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only with

regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to

you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did

not reach you. For we were the first to come all the way to you with

the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors

of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of

influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 so that we may

preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work

already done in another’s area of influence. 17 “Let the one who

boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is not the one who commends

himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.

Chapter 11 -1 I wish you would bear with me in a little

foolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you,

since [n] I betrothed you to one husband, [o] to present you [p] as a

pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that [q] as the serpent

deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts [r] will be led astray

from a [s] sincere and [t] pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone

comes and [u] proclaims another Jesus than the one we

proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you

received, or if you accept [v] a different gospel from the one you

accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider

that [w] I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 [x]

Even if I am unskilled in speaking, [y] I am not so in knowledge;

indeed, in every way [z] we have made this plain to you in all

things.

7 Or [a] did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be

exalted, because [b] I preached God’s gospel to you free of charge?

8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in

order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was [c] in need,

[d] I did not burden anyone, for the brothers who came from

Macedonia [e] supplied my need. So I refrained and will refrain [f]

from burdening you in any way. 10 [g] As the truth of Christ is in

me, this boasting of mine [h] will not be silenced in the regions of

Achaia. 11 And why? [i] Because I do not love you? [j] God knows I

do!

12 And what I do I will continue to do, [k] in order to undermine

the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted

mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men

are [l] false apostles, [m] deceitful workmen, [n] disguising

themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan

disguises himself as [o] an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if

his servants, also, disguise themselves as [p] servants of

righteousness. [q] Their end will correspond to their deeds. 16 I

repeat, [r] let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me

as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

Chapter 11 - Continued

17 What I am saying [s] with this boastful confidence, [t] I say not

with the Lord’s authority but as a fool. 18 Since [u] many boast

according to the flesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with

fools, [v] being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone [w]

makes slaves of you, or [x] devours you, or takes advantage of you,

or puts on airs, or [y] strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I

must say, [z] we were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a

fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they Hebrews? [a] So am I.

Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am

I. 23 Are they [b] servants of Christ? [c] I am a better one—I am

talking like a madman—with far greater labors, [d] far more

imprisonments, [e] with countless beatings, and [f] often near

death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the [g]

forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was [h] beaten with rods. [i]

Once I was stoned. Three times I [j] was shipwrecked; a night and a

day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from

rivers, danger from robbers, [k] danger from my own people, [l]

danger from Gentiles, [m] danger in the city, danger in the

wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 [n] in toil

and hardship, through many a sleepless night, [o] in hunger and

thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart

from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety

for [p] all the churches. 29 [q] Who is weak, and I am not weak?

Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 [r] If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my

weakness. 31 [s] The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, [t] he who

is blessed forever, [u] knows that I am not lying. 32 At Damascus,

the governor under King Aretas [v] was guarding the city of

Damascus in order to seize me, 33 [w] but I was let down in a

basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

2 Corinthians 10 & 11 ESV