HOLY BIBLE: 2 Corinthians 11 (original) (raw)

1 Ὄφελον ἀνείχεσθέ μου μικρόν τι ἀφροσύνης: ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνέχεσθέ μου. 2 ζηλῶ γὰρ ὑμᾶς θεοῦ ζήλῳ, ἡρμοσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ: 3 φοβοῦμαι δὲ μή 4 εἰ μὲν γὰρ ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἄλλον Ἰησοῦν κηρύσσει ὃν οὐκ ἐκηρύξαμεν, ἢ πνεῦμα ἕτερον λαμβάνετε ὃ οὐκ ἐλάβετε, ἢ εὐαγγέλιον ἕτερον ὃ οὐκ ἐδέξασθε, καλῶς ἀνέχεσθε.

1 If you would only bear with my vanity for a little! Pray be patient with me; 2 after all, my jealousy on your behalf is the jealousy of God himself; I have betrothed you to Christ, so that no other but he should claim you, his bride without spot, 3 and now I am anxious about you. The serpent beguiled Eve with his cunning; what if your minds should be corrupted, and lose that innocence which is yours in Christ? 4 Some newcomer preaches to you a different Christ, not the one we preached to you; he brings you a spirit other than the spirit you had from us, a gospel other than the gospel you received; you would do well, then, to be patient with me.[1]

1 Utinam sustineretis modicum quid insipientiæ meæ, sed et supportare me: 2 æmulor enim vos Dei æmulatione. Despondi enim vos uni viro, virginem castam exhibere Christo. 3 Timeo autem ne sicut serpens Hevam seduxit astutia sua, ita corrumpantur sensus vestri, et excidant a simplicitate, quæ est in Christo. 4 Nam si is qui venit, alium Christum prædicat, quem non prædicavimus, aut alium spiritum accipitis, quem non accepistis: aut aliud Evangelium, quod non recepistis: recte pateremini.

5 λογίζομαι γὰρ μηδὲν ὑστερηκέναι τῶν ὑπερλίαν ἀποστόλων: 6 εἰ δὲ καὶ ἰδιώτης τῷ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' οὐ τῇ γνώσει, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ φανερώσαντες ἐν πᾶσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς. 7 ἢ ἁμαρτίαν ἐποίησα ἐμαυτὸν ταπεινῶν ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑψωθῆτε, ὅτι δωρεὰν τὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εὐαγγέλιον εὐηγγελισάμην ὑμῖν; 8 ἄλλας ἐκκλησίας ἐσύλησα λαβὼν ὀψώνιον πρὸς τὴν ὑμῶν διακονίαν, 9 καὶ παρὼν πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ ὑστερηθεὶς οὐ κατενάρκησα οὐθενός: τὸ γὰρ ὑστέρημά μου προσανεπλήρωσαν οἱ ἀδελφοὶ ἐλθόντες ἀπὸ Μακεδονίας: καὶ ἐν παντὶ ἀβαρῆ ἐμαυτὸν ὑμῖν ἐτήρησα καὶ τηρήσω. 10 ἔστιν ἀλήθεια Χριστοῦ ἐν ἐμοὶ ὅτι ἡ καύχησις αὕτη οὐ φραγήσεται εἰς ἐμὲ ἐν τοῖς κλίμασιν τῆς Ἀχαΐας. 11 διὰ τί; ὅτι οὐκ ἀγαπῶ ὑμᾶς; ὁ θεὸς οἶδεν. 12 ὃ δὲ ποιῶ καὶ ποιήσω, ἵνα ἐκκόψω τὴν ἀφορμὴν τῶν θελόντων ἀφορμήν, ἵνα ἐν ᾧ καυχῶνται εὑρεθῶσιν καθὼς καὶ ἡμεῖς. 13 οἱ γὰρ τοιοῦτοι ψευδαπόστολοι, ἐργάται δόλιοι, μετασχηματιζόμενοι εἰς ἀποστόλους Χριστοῦ. 14 καὶ οὐ θαῦμα, αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Σατανᾶς μετασχηματίζεται εἰς ἄγγελον φωτός. 15 οὐ μέγα οὖν εἰ καὶ οἱ διάκονοι αὐτοῦ μετασχηματίζονται ὡς διάκονοι δικαιοσύνης: ὧν τὸ τέλος ἔσται κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτῶν.

5 I claim to have done no less than the very greatest of the apostles. 6 I may be unexperienced in speaking, but I am not so in my knowledge of the truth; everybody knows what we have been in every way to you. 7 Unless perhaps you think I did wrong to honour you by abasing myself, since I preached God’s gospel to you at no charge to yourselves? 8 Why, I impoverished other churches, taking pay from them so as to be at your service. 9 I was penniless when I visited you, but I would not cripple any of you with expenses; the brethren came from Macedonia to relieve my necessities; I would not, and I will not, put any burden on you. 10 As the truth of Christ lives in me, no one in all the country of Achaia shall silence this boast of mine. 11 Why is that? Because I have no love for you? God knows I have. 12 No, I shall continue to do as I have done, so as to cut away the ground from those who would gladly boast that they are no different from myself. 13 Such men are false apostles, dishonest workmen, that pass for apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder; Satan himself can pass for an angel of light, 15 and his servants have no difficulty in passing for servants of holiness; but their end will be what their life has deserved.

5 Existimo enim nihil me minus fecisse a magnis Apostolis. 6 Nam etsi imperitus sermone, sed non scientia, in omnibus autem manifestati sumus vobis. 7 Aut numquid peccatum feci, meipsum humilians, ut vos exaltemini? quoniam gratis Evangelium Dei evangelizavi vobis? 8 Alias ecclesias expoliavi, accipiens stipendium ad ministerium vestrum. 9 Et cum essem apud vos, et egerem, nulli onerosus fui: nam quod mihi deerat, suppleverunt fratres, qui venerunt a Macedonia: et in omnibus sine onere me vobis servavi, et servabo. 10 Est veritas Christi in me, quoniam hæc gloriatio non infringetur in me in regionibus Achaiæ. 11 Quare? quia non diligo vos? Deus scit. 12 Quod autem facio, et faciam: ut amputem occasionem eorum qui volunt occasionem, ut in quo gloriantur, inveniantur sicut et nos. 13 Nam ejusmodi pseudoapostoli sunt operarii subdoli, transfigurantes se in apostolos Christi. 14 Et non mirum: ipse enim Satanas transfigurat se in angelum lucis. 15 Non est ergo magnum, si ministri ejus transfigurentur velut ministri justitiæ: quorum finis erit secundum opera ipsorum.

16 Πάλιν λέγω, μή τίς με δόξῃ ἄφρονα εἶναι: εἰ δὲ μή γε, κἂν ὡς ἄφρονα δέξασθέ με, ἵνα κἀγὼ μικρόν τι καυχήσωμαι. 17 ὃ λαλῶ οὐ κατὰ κύριον λαλῶ, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ, ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ ὑποστάσει τῆς καυχήσεως. 18 ἐπεὶ πολλοὶ καυχῶνται κατὰ σάρκα, κἀγὼ καυχήσομαι. 19 ἡδέως γὰρ ἀνέχεσθε τῶν ἀφρόνων φρόνιμοι ὄντες: 20 ἀνέχεσθε γὰρ εἴ τις ὑμᾶς καταδουλοῖ, εἴ τις κατεσθίει, εἴ τις λαμβάνει, εἴ τις ἐπαίρεται, εἴ τις εἰς πρόσωπον ὑμᾶς δέρει. 21 κατὰ ἀτιμίαν λέγω, ὡς ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἠσθενήκαμεν: ἐν ᾧ δ' ἄν τις τολμᾷ, ἐν ἀφροσύνῃ λέγω, τολμῶ κἀγώ. 22 Ἑβραῖοί εἰσιν; κἀγώ. Ἰσραηλῖταί εἰσιν; κἀγώ. σπέρμα Ἀβραάμ εἰσιν; κἀγώ. 23 διάκονοι Χριστοῦ εἰσιν; παραφρονῶν λαλῶ, ὑπὲρ ἐγώ: ἐν κόποις περισσοτέρως, ἐν φυλακαῖς περισσοτέρως, ἐν πληγαῖς ὑπερβαλλόντως, ἐν θανάτοις πολλάκις: 24 ὑπὸ Ἰουδαίων πεντάκις τεσσεράκοντα παρὰ μίαν ἔλαβον, 25 τρὶς ἐραβδίσθην, ἅπαξ ἐλιθάσθην, τρὶς ἐναυάγησα, νυχθήμερον ἐν τῷ βυθῷ πεποίηκα: 26 ὁδοιπορίαις πολλάκις, κινδύνοις ποταμῶν, κινδύνοις λῃστῶν, κινδύνοις ἐκ γένους, κινδύνοις ἐξ ἐθνῶν, κινδύνοις ἐν πόλει, κινδύνοις ἐν ἐρημίᾳ, κινδύνοις ἐν θαλάσσῃ, κινδύνοις ἐν ψευδαδέλφοις, 27 κόπῳ καὶ μόχθῳ, ἐν ἀγρυπνίαις πολλάκις, ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει, ἐν νηστείαις πολλάκις, ἐν ψύχει καὶ γυμνότητι: 28 χωρὶς τῶν παρεκτὸς ἡ ἐπίστασίς μοι ἡ καθ' ἡμέραν, ἡ μέριμνα πασῶν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν. 29 τίς ἀσθενεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἀσθενῶ; τίς σκανδαλίζεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐγὼ πυροῦμαι; 30 εἰ καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ, τὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας μου καυχήσομαι. 31 ὁ θεὸς καὶ πατὴρ τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ οἶδεν, ὁ ὢν εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, ὅτι οὐ ψεύδομαι. 32 ἐν Δαμασκῷ ὁ ἐθνάρχης Ἁρέτα τοῦ βασιλέως ἐφρούρει τὴν πόλιν Δαμασκηνῶν πιάσαι με, 33 καὶ διὰ θυρίδος ἐν σαργάνῃ ἐχαλάσθην διὰ τοῦ τείχους καὶ ἐξέφυγον τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῦ.

16 Once more I appeal to you, let none of you think me vain; or, if it must be so, give me a hearing in spite of my vanity, and let me boast a little in my turn. 17 When I boast with such confidence, I am not delivering a message to you from God; it is part of my vanity if you will. 18 If so many others boast of their natural advantages, I must be allowed to boast too. 19 You find it easy to be patient with the vanity of others, you who are so full of good sense. 20 Why, you let other people tyrannize over you, prey upon you, take advantage of you, vaunt their power over you, browbeat you![2] 21 I say this without taking credit to myself, I say it as if we had had no power to play such a part; yet in fact—here my vanity speaks—I can claim all that others claim. 22 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descended from Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they Christ’s servants? These are wild words; I am something more. I have toiled harder, spent longer days in prison, been beaten so cruelly, so often looked death in the face. 24 Five times the Jews scourged me, and spared me but one lash in the forty; 25 three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned; I have been shipwrecked three times, I have spent a night and a day as a castaway at sea. 26 What journeys I have undertaken, in danger from rivers, in danger from robbers, in danger from my own people, in danger from the Gentiles; danger in cities; danger in the wilderness, danger in the sea, danger among false brethren! 27 I have met with toil and weariness, so often been sleepless, hungry and thirsty; so often denied myself food, gone cold and naked. 28 And all this, over and above something else which I do not count; I mean the burden I carry every day, my anxious care for all the churches; 29 does anyone feel a scruple? I share it; is anyone’s conscience hurt? I am ablaze with indignation. 30 If I must needs boast, I will boast of the things which humiliate me; 31 the God who is Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be his name for ever, knows that I am telling the truth. 32 When I was at Damascus, the agent of king Aretas was keeping guard over the city of the Damascenes, intent on seizing me,[3] 33 and to escape from his hands I had to be let down through a window along the wall, in a hamper.

16 Iterum dico (ne quis me putet insipientem esse, alioquin velut insipientem accipite me, ut et ego modicum quid glorier), 17 quod loquor, non loquor secundum Deum, sed quasi in insipientia, in hac substantia gloriæ. 18 Quoniam multi gloriantur secundum carnem: et ego gloriabor. 19 Libenter enim suffertis insipientes, cum sitis ipsi sapientes. 20 Sustinetis enim si quis vos in servitutem redigit, si quis devorat, si quis accipit, si quis extollitur, si quis in faciem vos cædit. 21 Secundum ignobilitatem dico, quasi nos infirmi fuerimus in hac parte. In quo quis audet (in insipientia dico) audeo et ego: 22 Hebræi sunt, et ego: Israëlitæ sunt, et ego: semen Abrahæ sunt, et ego. 23 Ministri Christi sunt (ut minus sapiens dico), plus ego: in laboribus plurimis, in carceribus abundantius, in plagis supra modum, in mortibus frequenter. 24 A Judæis quinquies, quadragenas, una minus, accepi. 25 Ter virgis cæsus sum, semel lapidatus sum: ter naufragium feci, nocte et die in profundo maris fui, 26 in itineribus sæpe, periculis fluminum, periculis latronum, periculis ex genere, periculis ex gentibus, periculis in civitate, periculis in solitudine, periculis in mari, periculis in falsis fratribus: 27 in labore et ærumna, in vigiliis multis, in fame et siti, in jejuniis multis, in frigore et nuditate, 28 præter illa quæ extrinsecus sunt, instantia mea quotidiana, sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum. 29 Quis infirmatur, et ego non infirmor? quis scandalizatur, et ego non uror? 30 Si gloriari oportet, quæ infirmitatis meæ sunt, gloriabor. 31 Deus et Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui est benedictus in sæcula, scit quod non mentior. 32 Damasci præpositus gentis Aretæ regis custodiebat civitatem Damascenorum ut me comprehenderet: 33 et per fenestram in sporta dimissus sum per murum, et sic effugi manus ejus.

[1] ‘To be patient with me’ as in verse 1; the more ordinary rendering is ‘to be patient with him’, but it is difficult to see how St Paul could have written this, even in irony.

[2] vv. 19, 20: The sense of this passage seems to be, that the Corinthians ought not to complain of St Paul’s vanity, since they did not complain of the unscrupulous treatment they often received from his rivals.

[3] Ac. 9.25. Aretas was king of the Nabateans, and there is no reason to think that he ruled in Damascus at the time of St Paul’s conversion. His ‘ethnarch’ was more probably a representative, a ‘consul’, as we should call it nowadays.

Knox Translation Copyright © 2013 Westminster Diocese
Nihil Obstat. Father Anton Cowan, Censor.
Imprimatur. +Most Rev. Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster. 8th January 2012.
Re-typeset and published in 2012 by Baronius Press Ltd