2 Corinthians 12

¹It is necessary to boast; it is not beneficial, but I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. ²I know a person in Christ who fourteen years ago—whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know; God knows—such a person was caught up as far as the third heaven. ³And I know that such a person—whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know; God knows— ⁴was caught up into paradise and heard unspeakable words, which a human being is not permitted to speak. ⁵On behalf of such a person I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except in my weaknesses. ⁶For if I want to boast, I will not be a fool, for I will be speaking the truth; but I refrain, so that no one will consider me beyond what he sees in me or hears from me, ⁷even because of the extraordinary revelations. Therefore, so that I would not be lifted up too high, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to batter me, so that I would not be lifted up too high. ⁸Three times I appealed to the Lord about this, that it would leave me. ⁹And he has said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” Most gladly, then, I will boast all the more in my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may pitch its tent over me. ¹⁰Therefore I delight in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and straits, for Christ's sake; for whenever I am weak, then I am powerful.

¹¹I have become a fool; you forced me to it. For I ought to have been commended by you, for I was in no way inferior to the super-apostles, even if I am nothing. ¹²The signs of an apostle were performed among you with all endurance, by signs and wonders and deeds of power. ¹³For in what were you worse off than the rest of the assemblies, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!

¹⁴Look, this is the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden; for I do not seek what is yours but you. For children ought not to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. ¹⁵And I will most gladly spend and be spent for your souls. If I love you more abundantly, am I loved less? ¹⁶But be that as it may, I did not weigh you down—but being cunning, I caught you by deceit! ¹⁷I did not take advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, did I? ¹⁸I urged Titus to go, and I sent the brother with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? Did we not walk in the same spirit? In the same footsteps?

¹⁹Have you been thinking all along that we are defending ourselves to you? Before God in Christ we speak. And everything, beloved, is for your building up. ²⁰For I am afraid that when I come I may find you not as I want, and I may be found by you not as you want; that there may be strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, slander, gossip, arrogance, disorder; ²¹that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may mourn over many who sinned before and have not repented of the impurity and sexual immorality and debauchery that they practiced.

Translation notes 14

12:1 — “It is not beneficial.” The same word as “beneficial” in 8:10. The Greek base reads “it is not beneficial, but”; the Byzantine text reads “it is not profitable for me.”

12:2–5 — “A person in Christ”; “third heaven”; “paradise.” Paul speaks of himself in the third person, as verse 7 confirms. Whether the third heaven and paradise are the same place or successive stages is not stated. “Unspeakable words” may be words impossible to utter or words forbidden to repeat; the verse asserts the second.

12:6 — “What he sees in me or hears from me.” The Greek base includes ti, “anything,” after “hears.” English conveys the object through the coordinated “what … sees … or hears”; adding a separate “anything” makes that construction ungrammatical. This is an English syntax correction, not a change of Greek text.

12:6–7 — “Even because of the extraordinary revelations.” The Greek base attaches the opening words of verse 7 to the sentence of verse 6, as printed; other punctuations begin the new sentence there. The purpose clause “so that I would not be lifted up too high” is repeated in the base and in the Nestle-Aland and Byzantine texts; Tregelles omits the second.

12:7 — “A thorn in the flesh”; “a messenger of Satan.” The word can mean a thorn, a splinter, or a stake. The affliction is not identified; illness, an opponent, and persecution have all been proposed. “Messenger” is the ordinary word for “angel.”

12:9 — “Power is made perfect”; “pitch its tent.” The base reads simply “power,” without “my.” In verse 5 the base likewise has “in weaknesses” without “my,” which the Byzantine text adds; the English supplies the possessive there because the article carries it. The verb rendered “pitch its tent over” is the tent verb of John 1:14 with a prefix; “rest upon” is the familiar rendering.

12:10 — “Delight in.” The verb means to be well pleased or take pleasure; “am content with” is a familiar softening.

12:11 — “Super-apostles.” As at 11:5.

12:12 — “Deeds of power.” Plural miracles, rendered as in Acts.

12:13–14 — “A burden”; “this wrong”; “the third time.” The sarcasm continues: the wrong Paul asks forgiveness for is refusing their money. Two earlier visits are implied; the second is the painful visit of 2:1.

12:15 — “For your souls.” The word can mean lives, selves, or souls; “for you” conveys the point, but the draft keeps the noun.

12:16 — “Being cunning, I caught you by deceit.” “Cunning” is the word family used of the serpent in 11:3 and renounced in 4:2. Paul repeats an accusation against himself, apparently that the collection was a scheme to get their money indirectly; verses 17–18 answer it.

12:19 — “All along.” The Greek base reads “long since”; the Byzantine text reads “again.”

12:20–21 — Vice lists. “Gossip” is literally “whisperings”; “arrogance” is “puffings up”; “disorder” is the word rendered “riots” in 6:5. “Sexual immorality” continues the rendering used in Matthew and Acts; “debauchery” denotes unrestrained conduct. In verse 21 “again” can modify “come” or “humble,” recalling the earlier painful visit.