1 W ould that ye could bear with me in a little foolishness: but indeed ye do bear with me.

I wish you would bear with me while I indulge in a little foolishness. Do bear with me!

2 F or I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy: for I espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

For I am zealous for you with a godly eagerness and a divine jealousy, for I have betrothed you to one Husband, to present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

3 B ut I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ.

But I am fearful, lest that even as the serpent beguiled Eve by his cunning, so your minds may be corrupted and seduced from wholehearted and sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

4 F or if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or if ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with him.

For if a man comes and preaches another Jesus than the One we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the you received or a different gospel from the one you received and welcomed; you tolerate well enough!

5 F or I reckon that I am not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.

Yet I consider myself as in no way inferior to these extra-super apostles.

6 B ut though I be rude in speech, yet am I not in knowledge; nay, in every way have we made this manifest unto you in all things.

But even if unskilled in speaking, yet not in knowledge; we have made this evident to you in all things.

7 O r did I commit a sin in abasing myself that ye might be exalted, because I preached to you the gospel of God for nought?

But did I perhaps make a mistake and do you a wrong in debasing and cheapening myself so that you might be exalted and enriched in dignity and honor and happiness by preaching God’s Gospel without expense to you?

8 I robbed other churches, taking wages of them that I might minister unto you;

Other churches I have robbed by accepting support for my ministry to serve you.

9 a nd when I was present with you and was in want, I was not a burden on any man; for the brethren, when they came from Macedonia, supplied the measure of my want; and in everything I kept myself from being burdensome unto you, and so will I keep myself.

And when I was with you and ran short financially, I did not burden any, for what I lacked was abundantly made up by the brethren who came from Macedonia. So I kept myself from being burdensome to you in any way, and will continue to keep.

10 A s the truth of Christ is in me, no man shall stop me of this glorying in the regions of Achaia.

As the truth of Christ is in me, this my boast shall not be debarred (silenced or checked) in the regions of Achaia (most of Greece).

11 W herefore? because I love you not? God knoweth.

And why? Because I do not love you ? God perceives and knows that I do!

12 B ut what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them that desire an occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we.

But what I do, I will continue to do, in order to cut off the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted they work on the same terms that we do.

13 F or such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, fashioning themselves into apostles of Christ.

For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles (special messengers) of Christ (the Messiah).

14 A nd no marvel; for even Satan fashioneth himself into an angel of light.

And it is no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light;

15 I t is no great thing therefore if his ministers also fashion themselves as ministers of righteousness, whose end shall be according to their works.

So it is not surprising if his servants also masquerade as ministers of righteousness. their end will correspond with their deeds.

16 I say again, let no man think me foolish; but if ye do, yet as foolish receive me, that I also may glory a little.

I repeat then, let no one think I have lost my wits; but even if you do, then bear with a witless man, so that I too may boast a little.

17 T hat which I speak, I speak not after the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this confidence of glorying.

What I say by way of this confident boasting, I say not with the Lord’s authority but, as it were, in pure witlessness.

18 S eeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also.

since many boast of worldly things and according to the flesh, I will glory (boast) also.

19 F or ye bear with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.

For you readily and gladly bear with the foolish, since you are so smart and wise yourselves!

20 F or ye bear with a man, if he bringeth you into bondage, if he devoureth you, if he taketh you captive, if he exalteth himself, if he smiteth you on the face.

For you endure it if a man assumes control of your souls and makes slaves of you, or devours and preys upon you, or deceives and takes advantage of you, or is arrogant and puts on airs, or strikes you in the face.

21 I speak by way of disparagement, as though we had been weak. Yet whereinsoever any is bold (I speak in foolishness), I am bold also.

To my discredit, I must say, we have shown ourselves too weak! But in whatever any person is bold and dares —mind you, I am speaking in this foolish (witless) way—I also am bold and dare.

22 A re they Hebrews? so am I. Are they Israelites? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.

They are Hebrews? So am I! They are Israelites? So am I! They are descendants of Abraham? So am I!

23 A re they ministers of Christ? (I speak as one beside himself) I more; in labors more abundantly, in prisons more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in deaths oft.

Are they servants of Christ (the Messiah)? I am talking like one beside himself, I am more, with far more extensive and abundant labors, with far more imprisonments, with countless stripes, and frequently death.

24 O f the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.

Five times I received from the Jews forty but one;

25 T hrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day have I been in the deep;

Three times I have been beaten with rods; once I was stoned. Three times I have been aboard a ship wrecked at sea; a night and a day I have spent on the deep;

26 i n journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from my countrymen, in perils from the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;

Many times on journeys, perils from rivers, perils from bandits, perils from nation, perils from the Gentiles, perils in the city, perils in the desert places, perils in the sea, perils from those posing as believers;

27 i n labor and travail, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.

In toil and hardship, watching often, in hunger and thirst, frequently driven to fasting by want, in cold and exposure and lack of clothing.

28 B esides those things that are without, there is that which presseth upon me daily, anxiety for all the churches.

And besides those things that are without, there is the daily of my care and anxiety for all the churches!

29 W ho is weak, and I am not weak? who is caused to stumble, and I burn not?

Who is weak, and I do not feel weakness? Who is made to stumble and fall and have his faith hurt, and I am not on fire ?

30 I f I must needs glory, I will glory of the things that concern my weakness.

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that my infirmity.

31 T he God and Father of the Lord Jesus, he who is blessed for evermore knoweth that I lie not.

The God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ knows, He Who is blessed and to be praised forevermore, that I do not lie.

32 I n Damascus the governor under Aretas the king guarded the city of the Damascenes in order to take me:

In Damascus, the city governor acting under King Aretas guarded the city of Damascus to arrest me,

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

And I was let down in a basket or hamper through a window (a small door) in the wall, and I escaped through his fingers.