Paul Defends His Ministry
10 I, Paul, myself yentreat you, by the zmeekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 I beg of you that awhen I am present I may not have to show boldness with such confidence as I count on showing against some who suspect us of bwalking according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not cwaging war according to the flesh. 4 For the dweapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. 5 We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 6 being ready to punish every disobedience, when your eobedience is complete.
7 Look at what is before your eyes. fIf anyone is confident that he is Christ’s, let him remind himself that just as he is gChrist’s, so also are we. 8 For even if I boast a little too much of hour authority, which the Lord gave for building you up and not for destroying you, I will not be ashamed. 9 I do not want to appear to be frightening you with my letters. 10 For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but ihis bodily presence is weak, and jhis speech of no account.” 11 Let such a person understand that what we say by letter when absent, we do when present. 12 Not that we dare to classify or compare ourselves with some of those who are commending themselves. But when they measure themselves by one another and compare themselves with one another, they are without understanding.
13 But we will not boast beyond limits, but will boast only kwith regard to the area of influence God assigned to us, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overextending ourselves, as though we did not reach you. For lwe were the first to come all the way to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We do not boast beyond limit in the labors of others. But our hope is that as your faith increases, our area of influence among you may be greatly enlarged, 16 mso that we may preach the gospel in lands beyond you, without boasting of work already done in another’s area of influence. 17 n“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 18 For it is onot the one who commends himself who is approved, but the one whom the Lord commends.
Paul and the False Apostles
11 I wish you would bear with me in a little pfoolishness. Do bear with me! 2 For I feel a qdivine jealousy for you, since I rbetrothed you to one husband, sto present you as a pure virgin to Christ. 3 But I am afraid that tas uthe serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, vyour thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For wif someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you xreceived, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough. 5 Indeed, I consider that yI am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles. 6 Even if I am unskilled zin speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.
7 Or adid I commit a sin in humbling myself so that you might be exalted, because I bpreached God’s gospel to you free of charge? 8 I robbed other churches by accepting support from them in order to serve you. 9 And when I was with you and was in need, I did not burden anyone, for cthe brothers who came from Macedonia dsupplied my need. So eI refrained and will refrain from burdening you in any way. 10 fAs the truth of Christ is in me, this gboasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia. 11 And why? Because I do not love you? God knows hI do!
12 And what I am doing I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do. 13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as iservants of righteousness. jTheir end will correspond to their deeds.
Paul’s Sufferings as an Apostle
16 I repeat, let no one think me foolish. But even if you do, accept me as a fool, so that I too may boast a little. 17 What I am saying with this boastful confidence, I say not as the Lord would1 but as a fool. 18 Since many boast according to the kflesh, I too will boast. 19 For you gladly bear with lfools, being wise yourselves! 20 For you bear it if someone mmakes slaves of you, or devours you, or takes advantage of you, or puts on airs, or strikes you in the face. 21 To my shame, I must say, nwe were too weak for that!
But whatever anyone else dares to boast of—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast of that. 22 Are they oHebrews? pSo am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they offspring of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they qservants of Christ? rI am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with sfar greater labors, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. 24 Five times I received at the hands of the Jews tthe forty lashes less one. 25 Three times I was ubeaten with rods. Once I was vstoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; 26 on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, wdanger from my own people, xdanger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; 27 in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food,2 in cold and exposure. 28 And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to fall, and I am not indignant?
30 If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my yweakness. 31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed forever, knows that zI am not lying. 32 aAt Damascus, the governor under King Aretas was guarding the city of Damascus in order to seize me, 33 but I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his hands.
Paul’s Visions and His Thorn
12 I must go on boasting. Though there is nothing to be gained by it, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. 2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or bout of the body I do not know, God knows. 3 And I know that this man was caught up into cparadise—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows— 4 and he heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter. 5 On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses— 6 though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a dfool, for I would be speaking the truth; but I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,1 ea thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the fpower of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, gI am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Concern for the Corinthian Church
11 I have been a fool! You forced me to it, for I ought to have been commended by you. For hI was not at all inferior to these super-apostles, ieven though I am nothing. 12 jThe signs of a true apostle were performed among you with utmost patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works. 13 For in what were you less favored than the rest of the churches, except that kI myself did not burden you? Forgive me this wrong!
14 Here lfor the third time I am ready to come to you. And I will not be a burden, for I seek not what is yours but you. For mchildren are not obligated to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 15 nI will most gladly spend and be spent ofor your souls. If pI love you more, am I to be loved less? 16 But granting that I myself did not burden you, I was crafty, you say, and got the better of you by deceit. 17 Did I take advantage of you through any of qthose whom I sent to you? 18 rI urged Titus to go, and sent sthe brother with him. Did Titus take advantage of you? Did we not act in the same spirit? Did we not take the same steps?
19 Have you been thinking all along that we have been tdefending ourselves to you? It is in the sight of God that we have been speaking in Christ, and all for your uupbuilding, beloved. 20 For I fear that perhaps when I come vI may find you not as I wish, and that you may find me not as you wish—that perhaps there may be wquarreling, jealousy, anger, hostility, slander, gossip, conceit, and disorder. 21 I fear that when I come again my God may humble me before you, and I may have to mourn over many of those who sinned earlier and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and sensuality that they have practiced.
Final Warnings
13 xThis is the third time I am coming to you. Every charge must be established yby the evidence of two or three witnesses. 2 I warned zthose who sinned before and all the others, and I warn them now while absent, as I did when present on my second visit, that if I come again I will not spare them— 3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you. 4 For ahe was crucified in weakness, but lives bby the power of God. For we also are cweak in him, but in dealing with you dwe will live with him by the power of God.
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. eTest yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is fin you?—gunless indeed you hfail to meet the test! 6 I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test. 7 But we pray to God that you may not do wrong—not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed. 8 For we cannot do anything against the truth, but only for the truth. 9 For we are glad when iwe are weak and you are strong. Your restoration is what we pray for. 10 For this reason I write these things while I am away from you, that when I come jI may not have to be severe in my use of kthe authority that the Lord has given me for building up and not for tearing down.
Final Greetings
11 Finally, brothers,1 rejoice. Aim for restoration, lcomfort one another,2 magree with one another, nlive in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you. 12 oGreet one another with a holy kiss. 13 pAll the saints greet you.
14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the qfellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
Galatians
Greeting
1 Paul, an apostle—anot from men nor through man, bbut cthrough Jesus Christ and God the Father, dwho raised him from the dead— 2 and all the brothers1 who are with me,
To ethe churches of Galatia:
3 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who fgave himself gfor our sins to deliver us from the hpresent evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
No Other Gospel
6 I am astonished that iyou are so quickly deserting him who jcalled you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a kdifferent gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who ltrouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to mthe one we preached to you, let him be naccursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
10 For am I now oseeking the papproval of man, or of God? Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant2 of Christ.
Paul Called by God
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is qnot rman’s gospel.3 12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I sreceived it through a trevelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former life in uJudaism, how I vpersecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 14 And wI was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the xtraditions of my fathers. 15 But when he who had yset me apart zbefore I was born,4 and who called me by his grace, 16 was pleased ato reveal his Son to5 me, bin order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone;6 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me, but I went away into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus.
18 Then cafter three years I went up to Jerusalem dto visit Cephas and remained with him fifteen days. 19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James the Lord’s brother. 20 (In what I am writing to you, ebefore God, fI do not lie!) 21 gThen I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. 22 And I was still unknown in person to hthe churches of Judea that are in Christ. 23 They only were hearing it said, “He who used to persecute us is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.” 24 And ithey glorified God because of me.
