2 Corinthians 11:25

Simplified Cowboy Version

Three times I was beaten with axe handles. Once, they hurled big rocks down on me until they thought I was dead. Three different times I have survived ship wrecks and once spent an entire night and day drifting on a piece of wood at sea.

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. I have spent a night and a day in the open sea.

King James Version (1611)
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned: thrice I suffered shipwracke: a night and a day I haue bene in the deepe.

King James Version
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

English Standard Version
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

New American Standard Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift at sea.

New Century Version
Three different times I was beaten with rods. One time I was almost stoned to death. Three times I was in ships that wrecked, and one of those times I spent a night and a day in the sea.

Amplified Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent adrift on the sea;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

Legacy Standard Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked—a night and a day I have spent in the deep.

Berean Standard Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

Contemporary English Version
Three times the Romans beat me with a big stick, and once my enemies stoned me. I have been shipwrecked three times, and I even had to spend a night and a day in the sea.

Complete Jewish Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. I spent a night and a day in the open sea.

Darby Translation
Thrice have I been scourged, once I have been stoned, three times I have suffered shipwreck, a night and day I passed in the deep:

Easy-to-Read Version
Three different times I was beaten with rods. One time I was almost killed with rocks. Three times I was in ships that were wrecked, and one of those times I spent the night and the next day in the sea.

Geneva Bible (1587)
I was thrise beaten with roddes: I was once stoned: I suffered thrise shipwracke: night and day haue I bene in the deepe sea.

George Lamsa Translation
Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was in shipwreck, a day and a night I have been adrift in the sea in shipwreck.

Good News Translation
three times I was whipped by the Romans; and once I was stoned. I have been in three shipwrecks, and once I spent twenty-four hours in the water.

Lexham English Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked. A day and a night I have spent in the deep water.

Literal Translation
I was flogged three times; I was stoned once; I was shipwrecked three times; I have spent a night and a day in the deep.

American Standard Version
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;

Bible in Basic English
Three times I was whipped with rods, once I was stoned, three times the ship I was in came to destruction at sea, a night and a day I have been in the water;

Hebrew Names Version
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

International Standard Version
Three times I was beaten with a stick, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, and I drifted on the sea for a day and a night.Acts 14:19; 16:22; 27:41;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
three times with staves have I been beaten, once was I stoned, three times have I been in shipwreck, a day and a night without a ship have I been in the sea.

Murdock Translation
Three times was I beaten with rods: at one time I was stoned: three times I was in shipwreck, by day and by night; I have been in the sea, without a ship.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Thryse was I beaten with roddes, once stoned, thrise I suffred shipwracke, nyght and day haue I ben in ye depth:

English Revised Version
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;

World English Bible
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I suffered shipwreck. I have been a night and a day in the deep.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I have been shipwrecked, a day and a night I passed in the deep: In journeyings often,

Weymouth's New Testament
Three times I have been beaten with Roman rods, once I have been stoned, three times I have been shipwrecked, once for full four and twenty hours I was floating on the open sea.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
thries Y was betun with yerdis, onys Y was stonyd, thries Y was at shipbreche, a nyyt and a dai Y was in the depnesse of the see;

Update Bible Version
Thrice I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

Webster's Bible Translation
Thrice was I beaten with rods, once I was stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep;

New English Translation
Three times I was beaten with a rod. Once I received a stoning. Three times I suffered shipwreck. A night and a day I spent adrift in the open sea.

New King James Version
Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep;

New Living Translation
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea.

New Life Bible
Three times they beat me with sticks. One time they threw stones at me. Three times I was on ships that were wrecked. I spent a day and a night in the water.

New Revised Standard
Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I received a stoning. Three times I was shipwrecked; for a night and a day I was adrift at sea;

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Thrice, have I been beaten with rods, once, have I been stoned, thrice, have I been shipwrecked, a day and night, in the deep, have I spent;

Douay-Rheims Bible
Thrice was I beaten with rods: once I was stoned: thrice I suffered shipwreck: a night and a day I was in the depth of the sea.

Revised Standard Version
Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been adrift at sea;

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Thryse was I beten with roddes. I was once stoned. I suffered thryse shipwracke. Nyght and daye have I bene in the depe of the see.

Young's Literal Translation
thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Thryse was I beaten with roddes. I was once stoned, I suffred thryse shypwracke: nighte and daye haue I bene in the depe of the see:

Mace New Testament (1729)
thrice was I whip'd with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I was shipwreck'd; a night and a day I was floating on the deep:

Contextual Overview

²²They say they are Hebrew? Me too! They say they are Israelites? Me too! They are descendants of Abraham? Me too! ²³Do they ride for the brand? Even talking like this to make a point makes me throw up a little bit, but I've ridden for Jesus much longer and much harder than they have. I've been thrown in jail, bullwhipped more times than I can count, and faced death time and time again. ²⁴Five different times, the Jews have given me the maximum punishment of thirty-nine lashes with a stock whip. ²⁵Three times I was beaten with axe handles. Once, they hurled big rocks down on me until they thought I was dead. Three different times I have survived ship wrecks and once spent an entire night and day drifting on a piece of wood at sea. ²⁶I've taken the outside in this gathering and rode at a long trot on many perilous journeys. I've faced raging rivers and bloodthirsty bandits. I've had showdowns in the street with my own people, the Jews, as well as from the outsider Gentiles. I've ridden through hell in cities, deserts, and even on the open sea. I've gone toe to toe with cowboys who pretended to ride for the brand, but really were trying to get close enough to stab me in the back. ²⁷I have ridden the rough string and the rough trails. Most of the time I got little sleep. Many times I had no food or water. I've been in bad cold weather without a coat. ²⁸And of all the problems I have, the main one is how much I care about all the outfits. I worry about these crews of believers every single day. ²⁹I feel the desperation when someone reaches the end of their rope. It kills me every time a cowboy rides back to a life of sin. ³⁰But if I'm going to brag, it's going to be about the things I am weak at. ³¹God knows I'm telling the truth. He's Jesus's daddy and the only one worthy of praise.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I beaten: Acts 16:22, Acts 16:23, Acts 16:33, Acts 16:37, Acts 22:24

once: Matthew 21:35, Acts 7:58, Acts 7:59, Acts 14:5, Acts 14:19, Hebrews 11:37

thrice: Acts 27:1-44

Reciprocal: Deuteronomy 25:3 - not exceed Matthew 8:24 - there Matthew 10:17 - scourge Matthew 23:34 - ye Mark 4:37 - great storm Luke 11:49 - and some Acts 27:20 - and no Acts 27:41 - they ran Acts 27:43 - willing 2 Corinthians 11:23 - in stripes Hebrews 11:36 - and scourgings

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Thrice was I beaten with rods,.... Or "wands", by the Romans; for this was a Roman punishment, distinct from scourging with cords used by the Jews. There is mention made but of one time only that he was so beaten, elsewhere, and that is in Acts 16:22 which was at Philippi; but that he was so many times beaten in this way, there is no room to doubt:

once was I stoned. This was at Lystra, at the instigation of the Jews that came from Antioch and Iconium, Acts 14:19 by whom he was left for dead:

thrice I suffered shipwreck; neither of which are mentioned by Luke in the Acts of the Apostles; for the shipwreck he suffered as when he went to Rome was some time after the writing of this epistle, and therefore cannot be one of these here referred to

a night and a day I have been in the deep; some understand this of a well, called "Bythos", or "the deep", which was near Lystra, where the apostle was hid for such a space of time after his deliverance there; but this, were it so, he would scarcely reckon among his very great hardships and sufferings: others of a prison at Cyzicum in Asia, which, because of its very great height, was called "the depth of the sea", in which the apostle was imprisoned for such a time; but, we nowhere read that he ever was at that place, or preached there, and much less was imprisoned there; and had he, it is not likely that he should particularly point out such a short imprisonment, but would have let it pass in the general account of being in prisons before mentioned: but rather this is to be understood of the sea, often called the "deep" in Scripture, where by some accident he was cast, and was in it, as the Syriac version has it, דלא ספינתא, "where was no ship", or without one, being shipwrecked; or being cast, or having fallen into the sea, he was swimming in it, or was preserved by a broken piece of the ship, or by some other means, or by the wonderful providence of God for so long a time; though as sailing in those times was chiefly by coasting, this phrase may only signify that the ship in which he was was drove from the coast into the sea, and lost sight of the land for the space of a day and night, and lay floating about in the deep, which was reckoned very dangerous. The word νυχθημερον, "a night day", signifies a whole natural day, consisting of a night and a day; and is an Hebraism, and answers to ערב ובקר, "the evening and the morning", which make a full day; see Genesis 1:5 Daniel 8:14.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Thrice was I beaten with rods - In the Acts of the Apostles there is mention made of his being beaten in this manner but once before the time when this Epistle was written. That occurred at Philippi; Acts 16:22-23. But there is no reason to doubt that it was more frequently done. This was a frequent mode of punishment among the ancient nations, and as Paul was often persecuted, he would be naturally subjected to this shameful punishment.

Once I was stoned - This was the usual mode of punishment among the Jews for blasphemy. The instance referred to here occurred at Lystra; Acts 14:19. Paley (Horae Paulinae) has remarked that this, when confronted with the history, furnished the nearest approach to a contradiction without a contradiction being actually incurred, that he ever had met with. The history Acts 14:19 contains but one account of his being actually stoned. But prior to this Acts 14:5, it mentions that “an assault was made both of the Gentiles, and also of the Jews with their rulers, to use them despitefully and to stone them, but they were aware of it, and fled to Lystra and Derbe.” “Now,” Paley remarks, “had the assault been completed; had the history related that a stone was thrown, as it relates that preparations were made both by Jews and Gentiles to stone Paul and his companions; or even had the account of this transaction stopped without going on to inform us that Paul and his companions were aware of their danger and fled, a contradiction between the history and the Epistle would have ensued. Truth is necessarily consistent; but it is scarcely possible that independent accounts, not having truth to guide them, should thus advance to the very brink of contradiction without falling into it.”

Thrice I suffered shipwreck - On what occasions, or where, is now unknown, as these instances are not referred to in the Acts of the Apostles. The instance of shipwreck recorded there Acts 27:0, which occurred when on his way to Rome, happened after this Epistle was written, and should not be supposed to be one of the instances referred to here. Paul made many voyages in going from Jerusalem to Tarsus, and to Antioch, and to various parts of Asia Minor, and to Cyprus; and shipwrecks in those seas were by no means such unusual occurrences as to render this account improbable.

A night and a day ... - The word used here (νυχθήμερον nuchthēmeron) denotes a complete natural day, or 24 hours.

In the deep - To what this refers we do not now certainly know. It is probable, however, that Paul refers to some period when, having been shipwrecked, he was saved by supporting himself on a plank or fragment of the vessel until he obtained relief. Such a situation is one of great peril, and he mentions it, therefore, among the trials which he had endured. The supposition of some commentators that he spent his time on some rock in the deep; or of others that this means some deep dungeon; or of others that he was swallowed by a whale (that is, a big fish), like Jonah, shows the extent to which the fancy is often indulged in interpreting the Bible.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 25. Thrice was I beaten with rods — This was under the Roman government, as their lictors beat criminals in this way. We hear of the apostle's being treated thus once, namely at Philippi, Acts 16:22. See sec. 9 of the introduction.

Once was I stoned — Namely, at Lystra, Acts 14:19, c.

A night and a day I have been in the deep — To what this refers we cannot tell it is generally supposed that in some shipwreck not on record the apostle had saved himself on a plank, and was a whole day and night on the sea, tossed about at the mercy of the waves. Others think that βυθος, the deep, signifies a dungeon of a terrible nature at Cyzicum, in the Propontis, into which Paul was cast as he passed from Troas. But this is not likely.