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2 Corinthians 12:7

King James Version (KJV)

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

Translations

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Amplified Bible

And to keep me from being puffed up {and} too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack {and} buffet {and} harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. [Job. 2:6.]

2 Corinthians 12:7 - American Standard Version

And by reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted overmuch.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Bible in Basic English

And because the revelations were so very great, in order that I might not be overmuch lifted up, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, one sent from Satan to give me pain.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Darby Bible

And that I might not be exalted by the exceeding greatness of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn for the flesh, a messenger of Satan that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - English Standard Version

So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - King James Version

And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - La Biblia de las Americas

Y dada la extraordinaria grandeza de las revelaciones, por esta razòn, para impedir que me enalteciera, me fue dada una espina en la carne, un mensajero de Satanás que me abofetee, para que no me enaltezca.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - The Message

Because of the extravagance of those revelations, and so I wouldn’t get a big head, I was given the gift of a handicap to keep me in constant touch with my limitations. Satan’s angel did his best to get me down; what he in fact did was push me to my knees. No danger then of walking around high and mighty! At first I didn’t think of it as a gift, and begged God to remove it. Three times I did that, and then he told me,

   My grace is enough; it’s all you need.
   My strength comes into its own in your weakness.
Once I heard that, I was glad to let it happen. I quit focusing on the handicap and began appreciating the gift. It was a case of Christ’s strength moving in on my weakness. Now I take limitations in stride, and with good cheer, these limitations that cut me down to size—abuse, accidents, opposition, bad breaks. I just let Christ take over! And so the weaker I get, the stronger I become.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - New American Standard Bible

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me--to keep me from exalting myself!

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Nueva Biblia Latinoamericana de Hoy

Y dada la extraordinaria grandeza de las revelaciones, por esta razòn, para impedir que me enalteciera, me fue dada una espina en la carne, un mensajero de Satanás que me abofetee, para que no me enaltezca.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - World English Bible

By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, that I should not be exalted excessively.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Young's Living Translation

and that by the exceeding greatness of the revelations I might not be exalted overmuch, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of the Adversary, that he might buffet me, that I might not be exalted overmuch.

2 Corinthians 12:7 - Additional Comments

What is our natural tendency? Selfishness, arrogance, boastfulness. We want to be the best, to be highly respected. If you are doing God's will, if you are honoring Him, He will bless you beyond measure, and make you rich (see 6:10). The funny thing is when God so enriches a person's life, they start seeing themself as someone special, and start getting thoughts and feeling contrary to what brought on the blessings in the first place. So God has to orchestrate in us this precarious balance between giving us blessings and feeding us with much to boast about. This is not speculative - God did it with Paul. Something troublesome to Paul, probably some type of infirmity, was in his life, and stayed, despite asking three times for its removal (vs 8). Why was it given? "... lest I be exalted above measure."
We can truly thank God for what he allows in our life, both the good and the troublesome, because it is His perfect balance for us to build us into who He wants us to be. He cannot give us unlimited blessings, because of our own sin. But He still has a passion to give us His blessings. So, the real challenge, is no matter with what or how God blesses us, we need to have a godly attitude about it, and continue to focus on others, not what we have.

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