2 Corinthians 12

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Paul’s Revelation

¹Καυχᾶσθαι δεῖ οὐ συμφέρον μέν ἐλεύσομαι δὲ εἰς ὀπτασίας καὶ ἀποκαλύψεις Κυρίου

¹I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.

²οἶδα ἄνθρωπον ἐν Χριστῷ πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν ἁρπαγέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ

²I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows.

³καὶ οἶδα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον εἴτε ἐν σώματι εἴτε χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα ὁ Θεὸς οἶδεν

³And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—

⁴ὅτι ἡρπάγη εἰς τὸν Παράδεισον καὶ ἤκουσεν ἄρρητα ῥήματα ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι

⁴was caught up to Paradise. The things he heard were inexpressible, things that man is not permitted to tell.

Paul’s Thorn and God’s Grace

⁵Ὑπὲρ τοῦ τοιούτου καυχήσομαι ὑπὲρ δὲ ἐμαυτοῦ οὐ καυχήσομαι εἰ μὴ ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις

⁵I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.

⁶ἐὰν γὰρ θελήσω καυχήσασθαι οὐκ ἔσομαι ἄφρων ἀλήθειαν γὰρ ἐρῶ φείδομαι δέ μή τις εἰς ἐμὲ λογίσηται ὑπὲρ ὃ βλέπει με ἢ ἀκούει τι ἐξ ἐμοῦ

⁶Even if I wanted to boast, I would not be a fool, because I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain, so no one will credit me with more than he sees in me or hears from me,

⁷καὶ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων Διὸ ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί ἄγγελος Σατανᾶ ἵνα με κολαφίζῃ ἵνα μὴ ὑπεραίρωμαι

⁷or because of these surpassingly great revelations.

So to keep me from becoming conceited,^a I was given a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me.

⁸ὑπὲρ τούτου τρὶς τὸν Κύριον παρεκάλεσα ἵνα ἀποστῇ ἀπ’ ἐμοῦ

⁸Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.

⁹καὶ εἴρηκέν μοι Ἀρκεῖ σοι ἡ χάρις μου ἡ γὰρ δύναμις ἐν ἀσθενείᾳ τελεῖται Ἥδιστα οὖν μᾶλλον καυχήσομαι ἐν ταῖς ἀσθενείαις μου ἵνα ἐπισκηνώσῃ ἐπ’ ἐμὲ ἡ δύναμις τοῦ Χριστοῦ

⁹But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is perfected in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest on me.

¹⁰διὸ εὐδοκῶ ἐν ἀσθενείαις ἐν ὕβρεσιν ἐν ἀνάγκαις ἐν διωγμοῖς καὶ στενοχωρίαις ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ ὅταν γὰρ ἀσθενῶ τότε δυνατός εἰμι

¹⁰That is why, for the sake of Christ, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Paul’s Concern for the Corinthians

¹¹Γέγονα ἄφρων ὑμεῖς με ἠναγκάσατε ἐγὼ γὰρ ὤφειλον ὑφ’ ὑμῶν συνίστασθαι οὐδὲν γὰρ ὑστέρησα τῶν Ὑπερλίαν ἀποστόλων εἰ καὶ οὐδέν εἰμι

¹¹I have become a fool, but you drove me to it. In fact, you should have commended me, since I am in no way inferior to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing.

¹²τὰ μὲν σημεῖα τοῦ ἀποστόλου κατειργάσθη ἐν ὑμῖν ἐν πάσῃ ὑπομονῇ σημείοις τε καὶ τέρασιν καὶ δυνάμεσιν

¹²The marks of a true apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with great perseverance.

¹³τί γάρ ἐστιν ὃ ἡσσώθητε ὑπὲρ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐκκλησίας εἰ μὴ ὅτι αὐτὸς ἐγὼ οὐ κατενάρκησα ὑμῶν χαρίσασθέ μοι τὴν ἀδικίαν ταύτην

¹³In what way were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴Ἰδοὺ τρίτον τοῦτο ἑτοίμως ἔχω ἐλθεῖν πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ οὐ καταναρκήσω οὐ γὰρ ζητῶ τὰ ὑμῶν ἀλλὰ ὑμᾶς οὐ γὰρ ὀφείλει τὰ τέκνα τοῖς γονεῦσιν θησαυρίζειν ἀλλὰ οἱ γονεῖς τοῖς τέκνοις

¹⁴See, I am ready to come to you a third time, and I will not be a burden, because I am not seeking your possessions, but you. For children should not have to save up for their parents, but parents for their children.

¹⁵ἐγὼ δὲ ἥδιστα δαπανήσω καὶ ἐκδαπανηθήσομαι ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν εἰ περισσοτέρως ὑμᾶς ἀγαπῶν ἧσσον ἀγαπῶμαι

¹⁵And for the sake of your souls, I will most gladly spend my money and myself. If I love you more, will you love me less?

¹⁶Ἔστω δέ ἐγὼ οὐ κατεβάρησα ὑμᾶς ἀλλὰ ὑπάρχων πανοῦργος δόλῳ ὑμᾶς ἔλαβον

¹⁶Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you; but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.

¹⁷μή τινα ὧν ἀπέσταλκα πρὸς ὑμᾶς δι’ αὐτοῦ ἐπλεονέκτησα ὑμᾶς

¹⁷Did I exploit you by anyone I sent you?

¹⁸παρεκάλεσα Τίτον καὶ συναπέστειλα τὸν ἀδελφόν μήτι ἐπλεονέκτησεν ὑμᾶς Τίτος οὐ τῷ αὐτῷ Πνεύματι περιεπατήσαμεν οὐ τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἴχνεσιν

¹⁸I urged Titus to visit you, and I sent our brother with him. Did Titus exploit you in any way? Did we not walk in the same Spirit and follow in the same footsteps?^a

¹⁹Πάλαι δοκεῖτε ὅτι ὑμῖν ἀπολογούμεθα κατέναντι Θεοῦ ἐν Χριστῷ λαλοῦμεν τὰ δὲ πάντα ἀγαπητοί ὑπὲρ τῆς ὑμῶν οἰκοδομῆς

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we were making a defense to you? We speak before God in Christ, and all of this, beloved, is to build you up.

²⁰φοβοῦμαι γὰρ μή πως ἐλθὼν οὐχ οἵους θέλω εὕρω ὑμᾶς κἀγὼ εὑρεθῶ ὑμῖν οἷον οὐ θέλετε μή πως ἔρις ζῆλος θυμοί ἐριθεῖαι καταλαλιαί ψιθυρισμοί φυσιώσεις ἀκαταστασίαι

²⁰For I am afraid that when I come, I may not find you as I wish, and you may not find me as you wish. I fear that there may be quarreling, jealousy, rage, rivalry, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder.

²¹μὴ πάλιν ἐλθόντος μου ταπεινώσῃ με ὁ Θεός μου πρὸς ὑμᾶς καὶ πενθήσω πολλοὺς τῶν προημαρτηκότων καὶ μὴ μετανοησάντων ἐπὶ τῇ ἀκαθαρσίᾳ καὶ πορνείᾳ καὶ ἀσελγείᾳ ᾗ ἔπραξαν

²¹I am afraid that when I come again, my God will humble me before you, and I will be grieved over many who have sinned earlier and have not repented of their acts of impurity, sexual immorality, and debauchery.