2 Coríntios 11

Gid I vilde finde eder i en Smule Dårskab af mig! Dog, I gør det Jo nok.

Thi jeg er nidkær for eder med Guds Nidkærhed; jeg har jo trolovet eder med een Mand for at fremstille en ren Jomfru for Kristus.

Men jeg frygter for, at ligesom Slangen bedrog Eva ved sin Træskhed, således skulle eders Tanker fordærves og miste det oprigtige Sindelag over for Kristus.

Thi dersom nogen kommer og prædiker en anden Jesus, som vi ikke prædikede, eller I få en anderledes Ånd, som I ikke fik, eller et anderledes Evangelium, som I ikke modtoge, da vilde I kønt finde eder deri.

Thi jeg mener ikke at stå tilbage i noget for de såre store Apostle.

Er jeg end ulærd i Tale, så er jeg det dog ikke i Kundskab; tværtimod på enhver Måde have vi lagt den for Dagen for eder i alle Stykker.

Eller gjorde jeg Synd i at fornedre mig selv, for at I skulde ophøjes, idet jeg forkyndte eder Guds Evangelium for intet?

Andre Menigheder plyndrede jeg, idet jeg tog Sold af dem for at tjene eder, og medens jeg var nærværende hos eder og kom i Trang, faldt jeg ingen til Byrde;

thi min Trang afhjalp Brødrene, da de kom fra Makedonien, og i alt har jeg holdt og vil jeg holde mig uden Tynge for eder.

Så vist som Kristi Sandhed er i mig, skal denne Ros ikke fratages mig i Akajas Egne.

Hvorfor? mon fordi jeg ikke elsker eder? Gud ved det.

Men hvad jeg gør, det vil jeg fremdeles gøre, for at jeg kan afskære dem Lejligheden, som søge en Lejlighed, til at findes os lige i det, hvoraf de rose sig.

Thi sådanne ere falske Apostle, svigefulde Arbejdere, som påtage sig Skikkelse af Kristi Apostle.

Og det er intet Under; thi Satan selv påtager sig Skikkelse af en Lysets Engel.

Derfor er det ikke noget stort, om også hans Tjenere påtage sig Skikkelse som Retfærdigheds Tjenere; men deres Ende skal være efter deres Gerninger.

Atter siger jeg: Ingen må agte mig for en Dåre; men hvis så skal være, så tåler mig endog som en Dåre, for at også jeg kan rose mig en Smule.

Hvad jeg nu taler, taler jeg ikke efter Herrens Sind, men som i Dårskab, idet jeg så tillidsfuldt roser mig.

Efterdi mange rose sig med Hensyn til Kødet, vil også jeg rose mig.

Gerne finde I eder jo i Dårerne, efterdi I ere kloge.

I finde eder jo i, om nogen gør eder til Trælle, om nogen æder eder op, om nogen tager til sig, om nogen ophøjer sig, om nogen slår eder i Ansigtet.

Med Skamfuldhed siger jeg det, efterdi vi have været svage; men hvad end nogen trodser på (jeg taler i Dårskab), derpå trodser også jeg.

Ere de Hebræere? Jeg også. Ere de Israeliter? Jeg også. Ere de Abrahams Sæd? Jeg også.

Ere de Kristi Tjenere? Jeg taler i Vanvid: jeg er det mere. Jeg har lidt langt flere Besværligheder, fået langt flere Slag, været hyppigt i Fængsel, ofte i Dødsfare.

Af Jøder har jeg fem Gange fået fyrretyve Slag mindre end eet.

Tre Gange er jeg bleven pisket, een Gang stenet, tre Gange har jeg lidt Skibbrud, et Døgn har jeg tilbragt på Dybet;

ofte på Rejser, i Farer fra Floder, i Farer iblandt Røvere, i Farer fra mit Folk, i Farer fra Hedninger, i Farer i By, i Farer i Ørken, i Farer på Havet, i Farer iblandt falske Brødre;

i Møje og Anstrengelse, ofte i Nattevågen, i Hunger og Tørst, ofte i Faste, i Kulde og Nøgenhed;

foruden hvad der kommer til, mit daglige Overløb, Bekymringen for alle Menighederne.

Hvem er skrøbelig, uden at også jeg er det? hvem bliver forarget, uden at det brænder i mig?

Dersom jeg skal rose mig, da vil jeg rose mig af min Magtesløshed.

Gud og den Herres Jesu Fader, som er højlovet i Evighed, ved, at jeg ikke lyver.

I Damaskus holdt Kong Aretas's Statholder Damaskenernes Stad bevogtet for at gribe mig;

men jeg blev igennem en Luge firet ned over Muren i en Kurv og undflyede af hans Hænder.

Would to God ye could bear with me a little in {my} folly: and indeed bear with me. {indeed bear...: or, indeed ye do bear with me}

For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present {you as} a chaste virgin to Christ.

But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.

For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or {if} ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with {him}. {with him: or, with me}

For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

But though {I be} rude in speech, yet not in knowledge; but we have been throughly made manifest among you in all things.

Have I committed an offence in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely?

I robbed other churches, taking wages {of them}, to do you service.

And when I was present with you, and wanted, I was chargeable to no man: for that which was lacking to me the brethren which came from Macedonia supplied: and in all {things} I have 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 boasting in the regions of Achaia. {no man...: Gr. this boasting shall not be stopped in me}

Wherefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.

But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

For such {are} false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ.

And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

Therefore {it is} no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

I say again, Let no man think me a fool; if otherwise, yet as a fool receive me, that I may boast myself a little. {receive: or, suffer}

That which I speak, I speak {it} not after the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of boasting.

Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.

For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye {yourselves} are wise.

For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a man devour {you}, if a man take {of you}, if a man exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face.

I speak as concerning reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit whereinsoever any is bold, (I speak foolishly,) 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 a fool) I {am} more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, 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 I have been in the deep;

{In} journeyings often, {in} perils of waters, {in} perils of robbers, {in} perils by {mine own} countrymen, {in} perils by the heathen, {in} perils in the city, {in} perils in the wilderness, {in} perils in the sea, {in} perils among false brethren;

In weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

Beside those things that are without, that which cometh upon me daily, the care of all the churches.

Who is weak, and I am not weak? who is offended, and I burn not?

If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern mine infirmities.

The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which is blessed for evermore, knoweth that I lie not.

In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me:

And through a window in a basket was I let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.