New Living Translation

New American Standard Bible 1995

1I hope you will put up with a little more of my foolishness. Please bear with me.

1I wish that you would bear with me in a little foolishness; but indeed you are bearing with me.

2For I am jealous for you with the jealousy of God himself. I promised you as a pure bride to one husband—Christ.

2For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin.

3But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

3But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

4You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.

4For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, you bear this beautifully.

5But I don’t consider myself inferior in any way to these “super apostles” who teach such things.

5For I consider myself not in the least inferior to the most eminent apostles.

6I may be unskilled as a speaker, but I’m not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every possible way.

6But even if I am unskilled in speech, yet I am not so in knowledge; in fact, in every way we have made this evident to you in all things.

7Was I wrong when I humbled myself and honored you by preaching God’s Good News to you without expecting anything in return?

7Or did I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I preached the gospel of God to you without charge?

8I “robbed” other churches by accepting their contributions so I could serve you at no cost.

8I robbed other churches by taking wages from them to serve you;

9And when I was with you and didn’t have enough to live on, I did not become a financial burden to anyone. For the brothers who came from Macedonia brought me all that I needed. I have never been a burden to you, and I never will be.

9and when I was present with you and was in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for when the brethren came from Macedonia they fully supplied my need, and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will continue to do so.

10As surely as the truth of Christ is in me, no one in all of Greece will ever stop me from boasting about this.

10As the truth of Christ is in me, this boasting of mine will not be stopped in the regions of Achaia.

11Why? Because I don’t love you? God knows that I do.

11Why? Because I do not love you? God knows I do!

12But I will continue doing what I have always done. This will undercut those who are looking for an opportunity to boast that their work is just like ours.

12But what I am doing I will continue to do, so that I may cut off opportunity from those who desire an opportunity to be regarded just as we are in the matter about which they are boasting.

13These people are false apostles. They are deceitful workers who disguise themselves as apostles of Christ.

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

14But I am not surprised! Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

14No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

15So it is no wonder that his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. In the end they will get the punishment their wicked deeds deserve. Paul’s Many Trials

15Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.

16Again I say, don’t think that I am a fool to talk like this. But even if you do, listen to me, as you would to a foolish person, while I also boast a little.

16Again 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.

17Such boasting is not from the Lord, but I am acting like a fool.

17What I am saying, I am not saying as the Lord would, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of boasting.

18And since others boast about their human achievements, I will, too.

18Since many boast according to the flesh, I will boast also.

19After all, you think you are so wise, but you enjoy putting up with fools!

19For you, being so wise, tolerate the foolish gladly.

20You put up with it when someone enslaves you, takes everything you have, takes advantage of you, takes control of everything, and slaps you in the face.

20For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.

21I’m ashamed to say that we’ve been too “weak” to do that! But whatever they dare to boast about—I’m talking like a fool again—I dare to boast about it, too.

21To my shame I must say that we have been weak by comparison. But in whatever respect anyone else is bold-- I speak in foolishness-- I am just as bold myself.

22Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants 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 servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again.

23Are they servants of Christ?-- I speak as if insane-- I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.

24Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes.

24Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

25Three 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.

25Three 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.

26I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not.

26I have been on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from my countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren;

27I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.

27I have been in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure.

28Then, besides all this, I have the daily burden of my concern for all the churches.

28Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

29Who is weak without my feeling that weakness? Who is led astray, and I do not burn with anger?

29Who is weak without my being weak? Who is led into sin without my intense concern?

30If I must boast, I would rather boast about the things that show how weak I am.

30If I have to boast, I will boast of what pertains to my weakness.

31God, the Father of our Lord Jesus, who is worthy of eternal praise, knows I am not lying.

31The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, He who is blessed forever, knows that I am not lying.

32When I was in Damascus, the governor under King Aretas kept guards at the city gates to catch me.

32In Damascus the ethnarch under Aretas the king was guarding the city of the Damascenes in order to seize me,

33I had to be lowered in a basket through a window in the city wall to escape from him.

33and I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall, and so escaped his hands.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

New American Standard Bible Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit //www.lockman.org