| New King James Version | Berean Study Bible |
| 1Oh, that you would bear with me in a little folly—and indeed you do bear with me. | 1I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that. |
| 2For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. | 2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ. |
| 3But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. | 3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ. |
| 4For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted—you may well put up with it! | 4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily. |
| 5For I consider that I am not at all inferior to the most eminent apostles. | 5I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.” |
| 6Even though I am untrained in speech, yet I am not in knowledge. But we have been thoroughly manifested among you in all things. | 6Although I am not a polished speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way possible. |
| 7Did I commit sin in humbling myself that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? | 7Was it a sin for me to humble myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge? |
| 8I robbed other churches, taking wages from them to minister to you. | 8I robbed other churches by accepting their support in order to serve you. |
| 9And when I was present with you, and in need, I was a burden to no one, for what I lacked the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied. And in everything I kept myself from being burdensome to you, and so I will keep myself. | 9And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so. |
| 10As the truth of Christ is in me, no one shall stop me from this boasting in the regions of Achaia. | 10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. |
| 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows! | 11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do! |
| 12But what I do, I will also continue to do, that I may cut off the opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the things of which they boast. | 12But I will keep on doing what I am doing, in order to undercut those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things of which they boast. |
| 13For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. | 13For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. |
| 14And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. | 14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. |
| 15Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works. | 15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions. |
| 16I say again, let no one think me a fool. If otherwise, at least receive me as a fool, that I also may boast a little. | 16I 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. |
| 17What I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as it were, foolishly, in this confidence of boasting. | 17In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool. |
| 18Seeing that many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast. | 18Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast. |
| 19For you put up with fools gladly, since you yourselves are wise! | 19For you gladly tolerate fools, since you are so wise. |
| 20For you put up with it if one brings you into bondage, if one devours you, if one takes from you, if one exalts himself, if one strikes you on the face. | 20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes you in the face. |
| 21To our shame I say that we were too weak for that! But in whatever anyone is bold—I speak foolishly—I am bold also. | 21To my shame I concede that we were too weak for that! Speaking as a fool, however, I can match what anyone else dares to boast about. |
| 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. | 22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I. |
| 23Are they ministers of Christ?—I speak as a fool—I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. | 23Are 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. |
| 24From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. | 24Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. |
| 25Three 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; | 25Three 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. |
| 26in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; | 26In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers, |
| 27in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness— | 27in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure. |
| 28besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. | 28Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. |
| 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? | 29Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief? |
| 30If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. | 30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. |
| 31The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying. | 31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is forever worthy of praise, knows that I am not lying. |
| 32In Damascus the governor, under Aretas the king, was guarding the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desiring to arrest me; | 32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me. |
| 33but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and escaped from his hands. | 33But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp. |
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