II Corinthians 11
1 O that you would bear with me [a] little of [my] folly, and indeed be bearing with me. 2 For I am zealous concerning you with [the] zeal of God, for I betrothed you to one man to present you virgin, pure, to Christ. 3 But I fear lest, as the snake deceived Eve in his cunning, your thoughts be corrupted from the simplicity1 and the purity for Christ. 4 For if another [one] coming proclaims [a] Jesus whom we did not proclaim, or you receive another spirit which you did not receive, or another good-news which you did not accept, you bear with [him] well. 5 For I reckon [I am] inferior in nothing to the chief of [the] apostles. 6 So if [I am a] layman in word, [I am] not in knowledge, but in everything being manifested in everything to you. 7 What sin did I, humbling myself in order that you be exalted, because freely I good-newsed to you the good-news of God? 8 I robbed other assembliesy2 , taking pay for your service, 9 and being present with you and having lack, I burdened no one, for the brothers having come from Macedonia filled up my lack, and in everything I kept myself no burden to you, and I will keep [it so]. 10 The truth of Christ is in me, that this boasting will not be stopped in me in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? Because I do not agape-love you? God knows [I do]. 12 But what I do, I will also do, in order that I cut off pretext of those wishing pretext, in order that in what they boast, they be found just as me also. 13 For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And no marvel, for Satan himself disguises himself into [an] angel of light. 15 [it is] no big [thing] therefore if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of justness; of whom the end will be according to their works. 16 Again I say, let no one suppose me to be foolish; otherwise, even as [a] fool receive me, in order that I also may boast [a] little. 17 What I speak, I speak not according to [the] Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting. 18 Since many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with the foolish, [you] being wise! 20 For you bear with [it] if someone enslaves you, if someone devours [you], if someone takes [from you], if someone be presumptuous, if anyone strikes you on [the] face. 21 I say according to dishonor, as if we had been weak. But in whatever anyone is bold—in foolishness I speak— I am also bold. 22 Are they Hebrews? I also. Are they Israelites? I also. Are they seed of Abraham? I also. 23 Are they servants of Christ? Being beside myself I speak: I more, in labors more abundant, in prisons more frequent, in stripes beyond measure, in deaths often. 24 By the Jews five times I received forty [stripes] save one, 25 thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I was shipwrecked, a night and a day have I been in the deep3, 26 in journeys often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from [my] kinsmen, in perils from [the] nations4, in perils in [the] city, in perils in [the] wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false-brothers, 27 in toil and labor, in watchings5 often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and destitution; 28 apart from the external, the daily pressure on me, the anxiety of all the assemblies2. 29 Who is weak and I am not weak [too]? Who is stumbled and I am not incensed? 30 If it is necessary to be boasting, I will boast of the [things] of my weakness. 31 The God and father of our Lord Jesus knows, who is blessed to eternity, that I do not lie. 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of Damascus to seize me, 33 and through [a] window in [a] basket I was lowered through the wall and escaped their hands.1or "sincerity"
2EKKLESIA (εκκλησια) from "called out". Appears 114 times in the N.T., but only in two places in the Gospels ( Matt.16:18 (twice) and Matt.18:17 (twice)). It's worth noting that when Jesus uses the term EKKLESIA, Christian community as we know it didn't yet exist—there were only the disciples. EKKLESIA is apparently different from 'synagogue' (SYNAGOGE (συναγωγη) which occurs 56 times in the N.T.) EKKLESIA is used in secular Greek literature of a popular assembly 'called to assemble', and also of those 'called' to a cult. EKKLESIA is used frequently in the N.T. outside of the Gospels to refer to Christian communities, but in Acts.7:38 it is used of the people of Israel led through the desert by Moses, and in Acts.19:32 ff. of a secular assembly. Thus, all told, the common translation of EKKLESIA as 'church' doesn't really reflect 1st century usage—it seems to mean more like 'a group of people assembled for some specific purpose'.
3i.e. in the sea
4the Gentiles
5or "sleepless nights"