1 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.