Paul Speaks Up for His Service to the Church

10 Christ is humble and free of pride. Because of this, I make my appeal to you. I, Paul, am the one you call “shy” when I am face to face with you. But when I am away from you, you think I am “bold” toward you. ² I am coming to see you. Please don’t make me be as bold as I expect to be toward some people. They think that I live the way the people of this world live. ³ I do live in the world. But I don’t fight my battles the way the people of the world do. ⁴ The weapons I fight with are not the weapons the world uses. In fact, it is just the opposite. My weapons have the power of God to destroy the camps of the enemy. ⁵ I destroy every claim and every reason that keeps people from knowing God. I keep every thought under control in order to make it obey Christ. ⁶ Until you have obeyed completely, I will be ready to punish you every time you don’t obey.

⁷ You are judging only by how things look on the surface. Suppose someone is sure they belong to Christ. Then they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do. ⁸ Do I brag too much about the authority the Lord gave me? If I do, it’s because I want to build you up, not tear you down. And I’m not ashamed of that kind of bragging. ⁹ Don’t think that I’m trying to scare you with my letters. ¹⁰ Some say, “His letters sound important. They are powerful. But in person he doesn’t seem like much. And what he says doesn’t amount to anything.” ¹¹ People like that have a lot to learn. What I say in my letters when I’m away from you, I will do in my actions when I’m with you.

¹² I don’t dare to compare myself with those who praise themselves. I’m not that kind of person. They measure themselves by themselves. They compare themselves with themselves. When they do that, they are not wise. ¹³ But I won’t brag more than I should. God himself has given me an opportunity for serving. I will only brag about what I have done with that opportunity. This opportunity for serving also includes you. ¹⁴ I am not going too far in my bragging. I would be going too far if I hadn’t come to where you live. But I did get there with the good news about Christ. ¹⁵ And I won’t brag about work done by others. If I did, I would be bragging more than I should. As your faith continues to grow, I hope that my work among you will greatly increase. ¹⁶ Then I will be able to preach the good news in the areas beyond you. I don’t want to brag about work already done in someone else’s territory. ¹⁷ But, “The one who brags should brag about what the Lord has done.” (Jeremiah 9:24) ¹⁸ Those who praise themselves are not accepted. Those the Lord praises are accepted.

Paul and Those Who Pretend to Be Apostles

11 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolish bragging. Yes, please put up with me! ² My jealousy for you comes from God himself. I promised to give you to only one husband. That husband is Christ. I wanted to be able to give you to him as if you were a pure virgin. ³ But Eve’s mind was tricked by the snake’s clever lies. And here’s what I’m afraid of. Your minds will also somehow be led astray. They will be led away from your true and pure love for Christ. ⁴ Suppose someone comes to you and preaches about a Jesus different from the Jesus we preached about. Or suppose you receive a spirit different from the Spirit you received before. Or suppose you receive a different message of good news. Suppose it was different from the one you accepted earlier. You put up with those kinds of things easily enough.

⁵ I don’t think I’m in any way less important than those “super-apostles.” ⁶ It’s true that I haven’t been trained as a speaker. But I do have knowledge. I’ve made that very clear to you in every way. ⁷ I preached God’s good news to you free of charge. When I did that, I was putting myself down in order to lift you up. Was this a sin? ⁸ I received help from other churches so I could serve you. This was almost like robbing them. ⁹ When I was with you and needed something, I didn’t cause you any expense. The believers who came from Macedonia gave me what I needed. I haven’t caused you any expense at all. And I won’t ever do it. ¹⁰ I’m sure that the truth of Christ is in me. And I’m just as sure that nobody in Achaia will keep me from bragging. ¹¹ Why? Because I don’t love you? No! God knows I do!

¹² And I will keep on doing what I’m doing. That will stop those who claim they have things to brag about. They think they have a chance to be considered equal with us. ¹³ People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. ¹⁵ So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve.

Paul Brags About His Sufferings

¹⁶ I will say it again. Don’t let anyone think I’m a fool. But if you do, put up with me just as you would put up with a fool. Then I can do a little bragging. ¹⁷ When I brag about myself like this, I’m not talking the way the Lord would. I’m talking like a fool. ¹⁸ Many are bragging the way the people of the world do. So I will brag like that too. ¹⁹ You are so wise! You gladly put up with fools! ²⁰ In fact, you even put up with anyone who makes you a slave or uses you. You put up with those who take advantage of you. You put up with those who claim to be better than you. You put up with those who slap you in the face. ²¹ I’m ashamed to have to say that I was too weak for that!

Whatever anyone else dares to brag about, I also dare to brag about. I’m speaking like a fool! ²² Are they Hebrews? So am I. Do they belong to the people of Israel? So do I. Are they Abraham’s children? So am I. ²³ Are they serving Christ? I am serving him even more. I’m out of my mind to talk like this! I have worked much harder. I have been in prison more often. I have suffered terrible beatings. Again and again I almost died. ²⁴ Five times the Jews gave me 39 strokes with a whip. ²⁵ Three times I was beaten with sticks. Once they tried to kill me by throwing stones at me. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea. ²⁶ I have had to keep on the move. I have been in danger from rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from my fellow Jews and in danger from Gentiles. I have been in danger in the city, in the country, and at sea. I have been in danger from people who pretended they were believers. ²⁷ I have worked very hard. Often I have gone without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. Often I have gone without food. I have been cold and naked. ²⁸ Besides everything else, every day I am concerned about all the churches. It is a very heavy load. ²⁹ If anyone is weak, I feel weak. If anyone is led into sin, I burn on the inside.

³⁰ If I have to brag, I will brag about the things that show how weak I am. ³¹ I am not lying. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows this. May God be praised forever. ³² In Damascus the governor who served under King Aretas had their city guarded. He wanted to arrest me. ³³ But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall. So I escaped from the governor.

Paul’s Vision and His Painful Problem

12 We can’t gain anything by bragging. But I have to do it anyway. I am going to tell you what I’ve seen. I want to talk about what the Lord has shown me. ² I know a believer in Christ who was taken up to the third heaven 14 years ago. I don’t know if his body was taken up or not. Only God knows. ³ I don’t know if that man was in his body or out of it. Only God knows. But I do know that ⁴ he was taken up to paradise. He heard things there that couldn’t be put into words. They were things that no one is allowed to talk about. ⁵ I will brag about a man like that. But I won’t brag about myself. I will brag only about how weak I am. ⁶ Suppose I decide to brag. That would not make me a fool, because I would be telling the truth. But I don’t brag, so that no one will think more of me than they should. People should judge me by what I do and say. ⁷ God has shown me amazing and wonderful things. People should not think more of me because of it. So I wouldn’t become proud of myself, I was given a problem. This problem caused pain in my body. It is a messenger from Satan to make me suffer. ⁸ Three times I begged the Lord to take it away from me. ⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is all you need. My power is strongest when you are weak.” So I am very happy to brag about how weak I am. Then Christ’s power can rest on me. ¹⁰ Because of how I suffered for Christ, I’m glad that I am weak. I am glad in hard times. I am glad when people say mean things about me. I am glad when things are difficult. And I am glad when people make me suffer. When I am weak, I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the People of Corinth

¹¹ I have made a fool of myself. But you made me do it. You should have praised me. Even though I am nothing, I am in no way less important than the “super-apostles.” ¹² While I was with you, I kept on showing you the actions of a true apostle. These actions include signs, wonders and miracles. ¹³ How were you less important than the other churches? The only difference was that I didn’t cause you any expense. Forgive me for that wrong!

¹⁴ Now I am ready to visit you for the third time. I won’t cause you any expense. I don’t want what you have. What I really want is you. After all, children shouldn’t have to save up for their parents. Parents should save up for their children. ¹⁵ So I will be very happy to spend everything I have for you. I will even spend myself. If I love you more, will you love me less? ¹⁶ In any case, I haven’t caused you any expense. But I’m so tricky! I have caught you by tricking you! Or so you think! ¹⁷ Did I take advantage of you through any of the men I sent to you? ¹⁸ I asked Titus to go to you. And I sent our brother with him. Titus didn’t take advantage of you, did he? Didn’t we walk in the same footsteps by the same Spirit?

¹⁹ All this time, have you been thinking that I’ve been speaking up for myself? No, I’ve been speaking with God as my witness. I’ve been speaking like a believer in Christ. Dear friends, everything I do is to help you become stronger. ²⁰ I’m afraid that when I come I won’t find you as I want you to be. I’m afraid that you won’t find me as you want me to be. I’m afraid there will be arguing, jealousy and fits of anger. I’m afraid each of you will focus only on getting ahead. Then you will tell lies about each other. You will talk about each other. I’m afraid you will be proud and cause trouble. ²¹ I’m afraid that when I come again my God will put me to shame in front of you. Then I will be sad about many who sinned earlier and have not turned away from it. They have not turned away from uncleanness, sexual sins and wild living. They have done all those things.

Final Warnings

13 This will be my third visit to you. Scripture says, “Every matter must be proved by the words of two or three witnesses.” (Deuteronomy 19:15) ² I already warned you during my second visit. I now say it again while I’m away. When I return, I won’t spare those who sinned earlier. I won’t spare any of the others either. ³ You are asking me to prove that Christ is speaking through me. He is not weak in dealing with you. He is powerful among you. ⁴ It is true that Christ was nailed to the cross because he was weak. But Christ lives by God’s power. In the same way, we share his weakness. But by God’s power we will live with Christ as we serve you.

⁵ Take a good look at yourselves to see if you are really believers. Test yourselves. Don’t you realize that Christ Jesus is in you? Unless, of course, you fail the test! ⁶ I hope you will discover that I haven’t failed the test. ⁷ I pray to God that you won’t do anything wrong. I don’t pray so that people will see that I have passed the test. Instead, I pray this so that you will do what is right, even if it seems I have failed. ⁸ I can’t do anything to stop the truth. I can only work for the truth. ⁹ I’m glad when I am weak but you are strong. I pray that there will be no more problems among you. ¹⁰ That’s why I write these things before I come to you. Then when I do come, I won’t have to be hard on you when I use my authority. The Lord gave me the authority to build you up. He didn’t give it to me to tear you down.

Final Greetings

¹¹ Finally, brothers and sisters, be joyful! Work to make things right with one another. Help one another and agree with one another. Live in peace. And the God who gives love and peace will be with you.

¹² Greet one another with a holy kiss.

¹³ All God’s people here send their greetings.

¹⁴ May the grace shown by the Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. May the love that God has given us be with you. And may the sharing of life brought about by the Holy Spirit be with you all.