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.

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.