The King’s Banquets

1 Now in the days of Ahasuerus, the Ahasuerus who reigned from India to Ethiopia over ^a127 provinces, 2 in those days when King Ahasuerus sat on his royal throne in ^bSusa, the citadel, 3 in the third year of his reign ^che gave a feast for all his officials and servants. The army of Persia and Media and the nobles and governors of the provinces were before him, 4 while he showed the riches of his royal glory and the splendor and pomp of his greatness for many days, 180 days. 5 And when these days were completed, the king gave for all the people present in Susa the citadel, both great and small, a feast lasting for seven days in the court of the ^dgarden of the king’s palace. 6 There were white cotton curtains and violet hangings fastened with cords of fine linen and purple to silver rods¹ and marble pillars, and also couches of gold and silver on a mosaic pavement of porphyry, marble, mother-of-pearl, and precious stones. 7 Drinks were served in golden vessels, vessels of different kinds, and the royal wine was lavished according to the bounty of the king. 8 And drinking was according to this edict: “There is no compulsion.” For the king had given orders to all the staff of his palace to do as each man desired. 9 Queen Vashti also gave a feast for the women in the palace that belonged to King Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti’s Refusal

10 On the seventh day, when the heart of the king was merry with wine, he commanded Mehuman, Biztha, ^eHarbona, ^fBigtha and Abagtha, Zethar and Carkas, the seven eunuchs who served in the presence of King Ahasuerus, 11 to bring Queen Vashti before the king with her royal crown,² in order to show the peoples and the princes her beauty, for she was lovely to look at. 12 But Queen Vashti refused to come at the king’s command delivered by the eunuchs. At this the king became enraged, and his anger burned within him.

13 Then the king said to the wise men who ^gknew the times (for this was the king’s procedure toward all who were versed in law and judgment, 14 the men next to him being Carshena, Shethar, Admatha, Tarshish, Meres, Marsena, and Memucan, the seven princes of Persia and Media, who saw the king’s face, and sat first in the kingdom): 15 “According to the law, what is to be done to Queen Vashti, because she has not performed the command of King Ahasuerus delivered by the eunuchs?” 16 Then Memucan said in the presence of the king and the officials, “Not only against the king has Queen Vashti done wrong, but also against all the officials and all the peoples who are in all the provinces of King Ahasuerus. 17 For the queen’s behavior will be made known to all women, causing them to look at their husbands with contempt,³ since they will say, ‘King Ahasuerus commanded Queen Vashti to be brought before him, and she did not come.’ 18 This very day the noble women of Persia and Media who have heard of the queen’s behavior will say the same to all the king’s officials, and there will be contempt and wrath in plenty. 19 If it please the king, let a royal order go out from him, and let it be written among the laws of the Persians and the Medes ^hso that it may not be repealed, that Vashti is never again to come before King Ahasuerus. And let the king give her royal position to another who is better than she. 20 So when the decree made by the king is proclaimed throughout all his kingdom, for it is vast, all women will give honor to their husbands, high and low alike.” 21 This advice pleased the king and the princes, and the king did as Memucan proposed. 22 He sent letters to all the royal provinces, ⁱto every province in its own script and to every people in its own language, that every man be master in his own household and speak according to the language of his people.

Your Name, O Lord, Endures Forever

Paul and the False Apostles

1 I wish you would bear with me in a little ^pfoolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a ^qdivine jealousy for you, since I ^rbetrothed you to one husband, ^sto present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that ^tas ^uthe serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, ^vyour thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For ^wif someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you ^xreceived, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that ^yI am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled ^zin speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

7 Or ^adid I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I ^bpreached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for ^cthe brothers who came from Macedonia ^dsupplied my need. So ^eI refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 ^fAs the truth of Christ is in me, this ^gboasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows ^hI do!

12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as ⁱservants of righteousness. ^jTheir end will correspond to their deeds.

Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle

16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would¹ but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the ^kflesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with ^lfools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone ^mmakes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, ⁿwe were too weak for that!

But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they ^oHebrews? ^pSo am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ^qservants of Christ? ^rI am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with ^sfar greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews ^tthe forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was ^ubeaten with rods. Once I was ^vstoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, ^wdanger from my own people, ^xdanger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,² in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?

30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my ^yweakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that ^zI am not lying. 32 ^aAt Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.

Paul’s Visions and His Thorn

1 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or ^bout of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into ^cparadise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a ^dfool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,^{3 e}a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the ^fpower of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, ^gI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Concern for the Corinthian Church

11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For ^hI was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, ⁱeven though I am nothing. 12 ^jThe signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that ^kI myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!

14 Here ^lfor the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For ^mchildren are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 ⁿI will most gladly spend and be spent ^ofor your souls. If ^pI love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of ^qthose whom I sent to you? 18 ^rI urged Titus to go, and sent ^sthe brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?

19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been ^tdefending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your ^uupbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come ^vI may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be ^wquarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.

Final Warnings

1 ^xThis is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established ^yby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned ^zthose who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For ^ahe was crucified in weakness, but lives ^bby the power of God. For we also are ^cweak in him, but in dealing with you ^dwe will live with him by the power of God.

5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. ^eTest yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is ^fin you?—^gunless indeed you ^hfail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when ⁱwe are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come ^jI may not have to be severe in my use of ^kthe authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.

Final Greetings

11 Finally, brothers,⁴ rejoice. Aim for restoration, ^lcomfort one another,^{5 m}agree with one another, ⁿlive in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 ^oGreet one another with a holy kiss. 13 ^pAll the saints greet you.

14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the ^qfellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.