I wish that you would abear
with me in a little
bfoolishness
; but 1indeed
you are bearing
with me.
For I am jealous
for you with a godly
jealousy
; for I abetrothed
you to one
husband
, so that to Christ
I might bpresent
you as a pure
virgin
.
But I am afraid
that, as the aserpent
deceived
Eve
by his craftiness
, your minds
will be led
astray
from the simplicity
and purity
of devotion to Christ
.
For if 1one comes
and preaches
aanother
Jesus
whom
we have not preached
, or
you receive
a bdifferent
spirit
which
you have not received
, or
a cdifferent
gospel
which
you have not accepted
, you dbear
this ebeautifully
.
For I consider myself anot in the least
inferior
to the 1most
eminent
apostles
.
But even if
I am aunskilled
in speech
, yet
I am not so in bknowledge
; in fact
, in every
way
we have cmade
this evident
to you in all
things
.
Or adid I commit
a sin
in humbling
myself
so
that you might be exalted
, because
I preached
the bgospel
of God
to you cwithout
charge
?
I robbed other
churches
by ataking
wages
from them to serve
you;
and when I was present with you and was in need
, I was anot a burden
to anyone
; for when bthe brethren
came
from cMacedonia
they fully
supplied
my need
, and in everything
I kept
myself
from abeing
a burden
to you, 1and will continue
to do so.
aAs the truth of Christ
is in me, bthis
boasting
of mine
will not be stopped
in the regions
of cAchaia
.
Why? aBecause
I do not love
you? bGod
knows
I do!
But what I am doing
I will continue
to do
, aso
that I may cut
off
opportunity
from those
who desire
an opportunity
to be 1regarded
just
as we are in the matter about which
they are boasting
.
For such men
are afalse
apostles
, bdeceitful
workers
, disguising
themselves as apostles
of Christ
.
No wonder
, for even
aSatan
disguises
himself as an bangel
of light
.
Therefore it is not surprising
if
his servants
also
disguise
themselves as servants
of righteousness
, awhose
end
will be according
to their deeds
.
aAgain I say
, let no
one
think
me foolish
; but if
you do, receive
me even
as foolish
, so
that I also
may boast
a little
.
What I am saying
, I am not saying
1 aas the Lord
would, but as bin foolishness
, in this
confidence
of boasting
.
Since amany
boast
baccording
to the flesh
, I will boast
also
.
For you, abeing so wise
, tolerate
the foolish
gladly
.
For you tolerate it if
anyone
aenslaves
you, anyone
bdevours
you, anyone
ctakes
advantage of you, anyone
dexalts
himself, anyone
ehits
you in the face
.
To my ashame I must say
that we have been bweak
by comparison.
But in whatever respect anyone
else cis bold
--I dspeak
in foolishness
--I am
just
as bold
myself
.
Are they aHebrews? bSo
am I. Are they cIsraelites
? cSo
am I. Are they 1 ddescendants
of Abraham
? eSo
am I.
Are they aservants of Christ
?--I speak
as if insane
--I more
so
; in 1 bfar
more
labors
, in 1 cfar
more
imprisonments
, 2 dbeaten
times
without
number
, often
in edanger
of death
.
Five times
I received
from the Jews
athirty-nine
lashes.
Three times
I was abeaten
with rods
, once
I was bstoned
, three
times
I was shipwrecked
, a night
and a day
I have spent
in the deep
.
I have been on frequent journeys
, in dangers
from rivers
, dangers
from robbers
, dangers
from my acountrymen
, dangers
from the bGentiles
, dangers
in the ccity
, dangers
in the wilderness
, dangers
on the sea
, dangers
among
dfalse
brethren
;
I have been in alabor and hardship
, 1through
many
sleepless
nights
, in bhunger
and thirst
, often
cwithout
food
, in cold
and 2 dexposure
.
Apart from such 1external
things, there is the daily
pressure
on me of concern
for aall
the churches
.
Who is aweak
without
my being weak
? Who
is 1led
into sin
2without
my intense
concern
?
If I have
to boast
, I will boast
of what
pertains to my aweakness
.
The God and Father
of the Lord
Jesus
, aHe who is blessed
forever
, bknows
that I am not lying
.
In aDamascus the ethnarch
under Aretas
the king
was bguarding
the city
of the Damascenes
in order to seize
me,
and I was let down
in a basket
athrough
a window
1in the wall
, and so escaped
his hands
.