1 I wish ye could bear with me a little in my folly and indeed bear with me. 2 For I am jealous over you with the jealousy of God, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to the Christ. 3 But I fear that as the serpent deceived Eve through his craftiness, so your senses should be corrupted in some way, and ye should fall from the simplicity that is in the Christ. 4 Therefore if anyone comes preaching another Jesus whom we have not preached or if ye receive another spirit from that which ye have received or another gospel from that which ye have accepted, ye bear well with it. 5 I reckon that I have not been inferior in any way to those grandiose apostles. 6 But though I am rude in speech, yet not in knowledge, but we have been thoroughly made manifest among you in all things.
7 Have I committed an offence in humbling myself that ye might be exalted because I have preached to you the gospel of God freely? 8 I deprived the other congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}, taking wages of them, to do you service. 9 And when I was present with you and had need, I was not a burden to any of you, for that which was lacking to me was supplied by the brethren which came from Macedonia; and in all things I have kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself. 10 It is the truth of Christ in me that this glory shall not be sealed up unto me in the regions of Achaia. 11 Why? because I do not love you? God knows.
12 But what I do, I will continue to do that I may take away the occasion from those who desire it to be found like unto us in that in which they glory. 13 For these false apostles are deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. 14 And it is no marvel, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 15 Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers transform themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.
16 I say again, Let no one think me a fool if otherwise, receive me as a fool, that I may yet glory a little. 17 That which I speak, I speak it not according to the Lord, but as it were foolishly, in this confidence of glory. 18 Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also. 19 For ye suffer fools gladly, seeing ye yourselves are wise. 20 For ye suffer it if anyone brings you into bondage, if anyone devours you, if anyone takes of you, if anyone exalts himself, if anyone smites you on the face.
21 I speak as concerning the reproach, as though we had been weak. Howbeit in that in which another is bold, (I speak foolishly), I am bold also. 22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am more, in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. 24 Of the Jews five times I received forty stripes less one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned; three times I suffered shipwreck, night and day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by those of my nation, 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; 27 in labour and travail, in many watches, in hunger and thirst, in many fasts, in cold and nakedness. 28 Beside those things that are without, my daily combat is the welfare of all the congregations {Gr. ekklesia – called out ones}. 29 Who is sick, and I am not sick? who stumbles, and I burn not?
30 If I must needs glory, I will glory of the things which concern my weakness. 31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is blessed for evermore, knows that I do not lie. 32 In Damascus the governor under Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes with a garrison, desirous to apprehend me; 33 and through a window in a basket I was let down by the wall and escaped his hands.