2 Corinthians 11:15

Spiritual warfare Truth and honesty Judgment

¹³ For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ.

¹⁴ And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

¹⁶ I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little.

¹⁷ In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.

Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.
KJV: Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
WEB: It is no great thing therefore if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.
ASV: It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
DARBY: It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.
BLB: Therefore [it is] not great if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.

ÅB: derfor er det ikke noe stort om og hans tjenere skaper seg om til rettferdighets tjenere; men deres ende skal være etter deres gjerninger.
OTB: Derfor er det ikke overraskende om hans tjenere også utgir seg for å være rettferdighetens tjenere, hvis ende vil være i henhold til deres gjerninger.
B1930: derfor er det ikke noget stort om og hans tjenere skaper sig om til rettferdighets tjenere; men deres ende skal være efter deres gjerninger.

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Philippians 3:19
Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and their glory is in their shame. Their minds are set on earthly things.
Read in context
2 Corinthians 3:9
For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness!
Read in context
Revelation 9:11
They were ruled by a king, the angel of the Abyss. His name in Hebrew is Abaddon, and in Greek it is Apollyon.
Read in context
Jeremiah 23:14–15
And among the prophets of Jerusalem I have seen a horrible thing: They commit adultery and walk in lies. They strengthen the hands of evildoers, so that no one turns his back on wickedness. They are all like Sodom to Me; the people of Jerusalem are like Gomorrah.”
Read in context
Jude 1:4
For certain men have crept in among you unnoticed—ungodly ones who were designated long ago for condemnation. They turn the grace of our God into a license for immorality, and they deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Read in context
Acts 13:10
and said, “O child of the devil and enemy of all righteousness, you are full of all kinds of deceit and trickery! Will you never stop perverting the straight ways of the Lord?
Read in context
2 Peter 2:13–22
The harm they will suffer is the wages of their wickedness. They consider it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deception as they feast with you.
Read in context
2 Corinthians 11:23
Are they servants of Christ? I am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.
Read in context