Paul’s Revelation 1 UDB Even though it does no good, I must continue to defend myself, so I will continue by boasting about some visions that the Lord gave me. BSB BSB: I must go on boasting. Although there is nothing to gain, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord.
2 UDB Fourteen years ago God took me, a man who is joined to Christ, up to the highest heaven—although only God knows whether he took me up only in my spirit or also in my body. BSB BSB: I 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.
3 UDB And I—whether in my body or only in my spirit, God alone knows— BSB BSB: And I know that this man—whether in the body or out of it I do not know, but God knows—
4 UDB I was taken up into a place in heaven called paradise. There I heard things that were so holy that I am not able to tell them to you. BSB BSB: was 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 5 UDB I can boast about that—but God made all that happen, not I. For myself, I can be proud only about how God works in me, a weak man. BSB BSB: I will boast about such a man, but I will not boast about myself, except in my weaknesses.
6 UDB Even if I kept on boasting about myself, I would not be foolish, because I would be saying only what was true. However, I will boast no more, so that you can judge me only by what you hear me say or by what you already know about me. BSB BSB: Even 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,
8 UDB I prayed three times to the Lord about this matter; each time I begged him to take this away from me. BSB BSB: Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9 UDB But he said to me, "No, I will not take this away from you. All you need is for me to love you and be with you because I do my most powerful work in you when you are weak." That is why I would rather be proud of my weakness, so that Christ's power can come and make me strong. BSB BSB: But 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.
10 UDB I can face anything because Christ is with me. It may be that I must be weak, or that others might treat me with scorn, or that I must have great hardships, or that others will try to kill me. It may be that I will continue to suffer hardships of various kinds. In any case, when my power is gone, then I am at my strongest. BSB BSB: That 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 11 UDB When I write this way, I am praising myself. But I had to do so because you should have had confidence in me. I am just as good as these "super-apostles," even though I am really nothing at all. BSB BSB: I 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.
12 UDB I demonstrated to you the true signs of being an apostle—miracles that I did with great patience among you—miracles that proved my claim to be an apostle, along with wonderful miracles and powerful proofs that only a true apostle could do. BSB BSB: The marks of a true apostle—signs, wonders, and miracles—were performed among you with great perseverance.
13 UDB You certainly were just as important as all the other churches! The only way you were different was that I received no money from you as I did from them. Forgive me that I did not ask this from you! BSB BSB: In what way were you inferior to the other churches, except that I was not a burden to you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 UDB So listen to this! I am now ready to visit you for a third time, and on this trip, as on all the others, I will not ask you for any money. I do not want anything you have. What I want is you! You know the principle that we all follow in our families: The children should not pay the expenses of their parents, but the parents save up to pay the expenses of the children. BSB BSB: See, 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.
15 UDB I will most happily do everything I can for you, even if it means losing my life. If this means that I love you more than ever, surely you should love me more than ever as well. BSB BSB: And 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?
16 UDB And so, someone might say that, although I did not ask you for money, I tricked you into letting me myself pay for everything I needed. BSB BSB: Be that as it may, I was not a burden to you; but crafty as I am, I caught you by trickery.
17 UDB Well, I never cheated you by using someone else I sent to you, did I? BSB BSB: Did I exploit you by anyone I sent you?
18 UDB For example, I sent Titus and the other brother to you, but they did not ask you to support them, did they? Titus never made you pay his expenses, did he? Titus and the other brother treated you the same as I did; is this not so? We lived our lives in the same way; you never had to pay anything for us. BSB BSB: I 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?
19 UDB You do not really think that I have been trying to defend myself in this letter, do you? God knows that I am joined to Christ and that I have written everything in order to strengthen you in trusting him. BSB BSB: Have 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.
20 UDB From what I know of you, it would not surprise me to find you hurting one another. It would not surprise me that, when I come to you, you may not want to listen to me. It would not surprise me that you would be arguing a lot among yourselves, that some of you are becoming jealous of one another, and that some of you are becoming very angry with each other. It would not surprise me if some of you are putting yourselves first, that you are talking about each other in secret, and that you have become very selfish. BSB BSB: For 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.
21 UDB It would not surprise me if, when I come to you and see you, God will humble me by how you are living your lives. It would not surprise me that, when I come to you, I will have to mourn for many of you who have disobeyed God before, and even now you have not stopped sinning with sexual acts that God forbids you to do. BSB BSB: I 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.
Select verses for actions: Enter goes to them and Escape comes back.