2 Corinthians 11:1-15 - Paul Defends His Apostleship

¹ O that ye tolerated a little of my foolishness, but tolerate me too. ² For I am jealous for you with a jealousy of God. For I betrothed you to one husband, a pure virgin to present to the Christ. ³ But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent enticed Eve by his craftiness, so your thoughts might be corrupted from the simplicity in the Christ. ⁴ For indeed if a man who comes, preaches another Jesus whom we did not preach, or ye receive another spirit that ye did not receive, or another good-news that ye did not accept, ye well tolerated it.

⁵ For I reckon to come short in nothing of those, superlative apostles. ⁶ But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet not in knowledge, but in everything made known in all things to you. ⁷ Or did I commit a sin lowering myself so that ye might be lifted up, because I preached to you the good-news of God freely? ⁸ I robbed other congregations, having taken a wage in order for your service. ⁹ And being present with you, and when needy, I was a burden to no man. For the brothers who came from Macedonia, they supplied my need. And in everything I kept, and I will keep myself non-burdensome to you. ¹⁰ The truth of Christ is in me that this pride in me will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia. ¹¹ Why? Because I do not love you? God knows.

¹² But what I do, I also will do, so that I may cut off the opportunity of those who desire an opportunity, that in what they boast, they might appear just as we also. ¹³ For such men are FALSE apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves into apostles of Christ. ¹⁴ And no marvel, for even Satan disguises himself into an agent of light. ¹⁵ Therefore, it is no great thing if his helpers also disguise themselves as helpers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.