9There is no need(A) for me to write to you about this service(B) to the Lord’s people.(C) 2For I know your eagerness to help,(D) and I have been boasting(E) about it to the Macedonians, telling them that since last year(F) you in Achaia(G) were ready to give; and your enthusiasm has stirred most of them to action. 3But I am sending the brothers(H) in order that our boasting about you in this matter should not prove hollow, but that you may be ready, as I said you would be.(I) 4For if any Macedonians(J) come with me and find you unprepared, we—not to say anything about you—would be ashamed of having been so confident. 5So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers(K) to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift,(L) not as one grudgingly given.(M)
Generosity Encouraged
6Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.(N) 7Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,(O) not reluctantly or under compulsion,(P) for God loves a cheerful giver.(Q) 8And God is able(R) to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need,(S) you will abound in every good work. 9As it is written:
“They have freely scattered their gifts(T) to the poor;
their righteousness endures forever.”[a](U)
10Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food(V) will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness.(W) 11You will be enriched(X) in every way so that you can be generous(Y) on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.(Z)
12This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs(AA) of the Lord’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God.(AB) 13Because of the service(AC) by which you have proved yourselves, others will praise God(AD) for the obedience that accompanies your confession(AE) of the gospel of Christ,(AF) and for your generosity(AG) in sharing with them and with everyone else. 14And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. 15Thanks be to God(AH) for his indescribable gift!(AI)
Paul’s Defense of His Ministry
10By the humility and gentleness(AJ) of Christ, I appeal to you—I, Paul,(AK) who am “timid” when face to face with you, but “bold” toward you when away! 2I beg you that when I come I may not have to be as bold(AL) as I expect to be toward some people who think that we live by the standards of this world.(AM) 3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.(AN) 4The weapons we fight with(AO) are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power(AP) to demolish strongholds.(AQ) 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God,(AR) and we take captive every thought to make it obedient(AS) to Christ. 6And we will be ready to punish every act of disobedience, once your obedience is complete.(AT)
7You are judging by appearances.[b](AU) If anyone is confident that they belong to Christ,(AV) they should consider again that we belong to Christ just as much as they do.(AW) 8So even if I boast somewhat freely about the authority the Lord gave us(AX) for building you up rather than tearing you down,(AY) I will not be ashamed of it. 9I do not want to seem to be trying to frighten you with my letters. 10For some say, “His letters are weighty and forceful, but in person he is unimpressive(AZ) and his speaking amounts to nothing.”(BA) 11Such people should realize that what we are in our letters when we are absent, we will be in our actions when we are present.
12We do not dare to classify or compare ourselves with some who commend themselves.(BB) When they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are not wise. 13We, however, will not boast beyond proper limits, but will confine our boasting to the sphere of service God himself has assigned to us,(BC) a sphere that also includes you. 14We are not going too far in our boasting, as would be the case if we had not come to you, for we did get as far as you(BD) with the gospel of Christ.(BE) 15Neither do we go beyond our limits(BF) by boasting of work done by others.(BG) Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow,(BH) our sphere of activity among you will greatly expand, 16so that we can preach the gospel(BI) in the regions beyond you.(BJ) For we do not want to boast about work already done in someone else’s territory. 17But, “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”[c](BK) 18For it is not the one who commends himself(BL) who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.(BM)
Paul and the False Apostles
11I hope you will put up with(BN) me in a little foolishness.(BO) Yes, please put up with me! 2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband,(BP) to Christ, so that I might present you(BQ) as a pure virgin to him. 3But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning,(BR) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached,(BS) or if you receive a different spirit(BT) from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel(BU) from the one you accepted, you put up with it(BV) easily enough.
5I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.”[d](BW) 6I may indeed be untrained as a speaker,(BX) but I do have knowledge.(BY) We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way. 7Was it a sin(BZ) for me to lower myself in order to elevate you by preaching the gospel of God(CA) to you free of charge?(CB) 8I robbed other churches by receiving support from them(CC) so as to serve you. 9And when I was with you and needed something, I was not a burden to anyone, for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied what I needed.(CD) I have kept myself from being a burden to you(CE) in any way, and will continue to do so. 10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me,(CF) nobody in the regions of Achaia(CG) will stop this boasting(CH) of mine. 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows(CI) I do!(CJ)
12And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13For such people are false apostles,(CK) deceitful(CL) workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.(CM) 14And no wonder, for Satan(CN) himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.(CO)
Paul Boasts About His Sufferings
16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool.(CP) But if you do, then tolerate me just as you would a fool, so that I may do a little boasting. 17In this self-confident boasting I am not talking as the Lord would,(CQ) but as a fool.(CR) 18Since many are boasting in the way the world does,(CS) I too will boast.(CT) 19You gladly put up with(CU) fools since you are so wise!(CV) 20In fact, you even put up with(CW) anyone who enslaves you(CX) or exploits you or takes advantage of you or puts on airs or slaps you in the face. 21To my shame I admit that we were too weak(CY) for that!
Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about.(CZ) 22Are they Hebrews? So am I.(DA) Are they Israelites? So am I.(DB) Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.(DC) 23Are they servants of Christ?(DD) (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder,(DE) been in prison more frequently,(DF) been flogged more severely,(DG) and been exposed to death again and again.(DH) 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes(DI) minus one. 25Three times I was beaten with rods,(DJ) once I was pelted with stones,(DK) three times I was shipwrecked,(DL) I spent a night and a day in the open sea, 26I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews,(DM) in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city,(DN) in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers.(DO) 27I have labored and toiled(DP) and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food;(DQ) I have been cold and naked. 28Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.(DR) 29Who is weak, and I do not feel weak?(DS) Who is led into sin,(DT) and I do not inwardly burn?
30If I must boast, I will boast(DU) of the things that show my weakness.(DV) 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever,(DW) knows(DX) that I am not lying. 32In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me.(DY) 33But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.(DZ)
