Berean Study Bible

New American Standard Bible 1995

1I hope you will bear with a little of my foolishness, but you are already doing that.

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

2I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. For I promised you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to 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.

3I am afraid, however, that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may be led astray from your simple and pure devotion to Christ.

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.

4For if someone comes and proclaims a Jesus other than the One we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit than the One you received, or a different gospel than the one you accepted, you put up with it way too easily.

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.

5I consider myself in no way inferior to those “super-apostles.”

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

6Although I am not a polished speaker, I am certainly not lacking in knowledge. We have made this clear to you in every way possible.

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 it a sin for me to humble myself in order to exalt you, because I preached the gospel of God to you free of charge?

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 support in order to serve you.

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

9And when I was with you and in need, I was not a burden to anyone; for the brothers who came from Macedonia supplied my needs. I have refrained from being a burden to you in any way, and I will continue to do so.

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, this boasting of mine will not be silenced in the regions of Achaia.

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

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

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

12But I will keep on doing what I am doing, in order to undercut those who want an opportunity to be regarded as our equals in the things of which they boast.

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.

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

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

14And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.

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

15It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their actions.

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

16I repeat: Let no one take me for a fool. But if you do, then receive me as a fool, so that I too may 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.

17In this confident boasting of mine, I am not speaking as the Lord would, but as a fool.

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

18Since many are boasting according to the flesh, I too will boast.

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

19For you gladly tolerate fools, since you are so wise.

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

20In fact, you even put up with anyone who enslaves you or exploits you or takes advantage of you or exalts himself or strikes 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.

21To my shame I concede that we were too weak for that! Speaking as a fool, however, I can match what anyone else dares to boast about.

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 am speaking like I am out of my mind, but I am so much more: in harder labor, in more imprisonments, in worse beatings, in frequent danger of death.

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 times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.

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. I spent a night and a day in the open 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.

26In my frequent journeys, I have been in danger from rivers and from bandits, in danger from my countrymen and from the Gentiles, in danger in the city and in the country, in danger on the sea and among false brothers,

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;

27in labor and toil and often without sleep, in hunger and thirst and often without food, in cold and exposure.

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

28Apart from these external trials, I face daily the pressure 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, and I am not weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not burn with grief?

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

30If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness.

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

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

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

32In Damascus, the governor under King Aretas secured the city of the Damascenes in order to arrest me.

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

33But I was lowered in a basket through a window in the wall and escaped his grasp.

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

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