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

I wish you would listen to a little foolish talk from me. Now listen.

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.

I am jealous for you with a God-like jealousy. I have given you, as a woman who has never had a man, to one Husband, Who is 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.

Eve was fooled by the snake in the garden of Eden. In the same way, I am afraid that you will be fooled and led away from your pure love for 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.

You listen when someone comes and preaches a different Jesus than the One we preached. You believe what you hear about a different spirit and different good news than that which we preached.

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

I do not think I am less than those special missionaries who are coming to you.

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.

Even if it is hard for me to speak, I know what I am talking about. You know this by now.

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?

Did I do wrong? I did not ask you for anything when I preached the Good News to you. I made myself poor so you would be made rich.

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

I did take money from other churches. I used it while I worked with you so you would not have to pay me.

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.

Some of the time I had no money when I was with you. But I did not ask you for money. The Christians from the country of Macedonia brought me what I needed. I did not ask you and I will not ask you for anything.

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

As sure as the truth of Christ is in me, I will not stop telling those in the country of Greece that I am proud of this.

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

Does it mean I do not love you? God knows 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.

What I am doing now, I will keep on doing. I will do it to stop those who say they work as we do.

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

Those men are false missionaries. They lie about their work. But they make themselves look like true missionaries of Christ.

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

It is no surprise! The devil makes himself look like 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.

And so it is no surprise if his servants also make themselves look like preachers of the Good News. They and their work will come to the same end. What Paul Suffered as a Missionary

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.

Let me say it again. Do not think of me as a fool. But if you do, then let this foolish man speak a little about himself.

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

The Lord has not told me to talk about myself. I am foolish when I do talk about myself like this.

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

Since the other men tell you all about themselves, I will talk about myself also.

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

You are so wise! You put up with fools!

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.

You listen to anyone who tells you what to do or makes money off of you or sets a trap for you. You will listen to anyone who makes himself bigger than you or hits 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.

I am ashamed to say that I am weak! But I do not do as they do. Whatever they say about themselves, I can say about myself also. (I know what I am saying sounds foolish.)

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

Are they Jews? So am I. Are they from the family of Israel? So am I. Are they from the family 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.

Do they work for Christ? I have worked for Him much more than they have. (I speak as if I am crazy.) I have done much more work. I have been in prison more times. I cannot remember how many times I have been whipped. Many times I have been in danger of death.

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

Five different times the Jews whipped me across my back thirty-nine times.

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 they beat me with sticks. One time they threw stones at me. Three times I was on ships that were wrecked. I spent a day and a night in the water.

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;

I have made many hard trips. I have been in danger from high water on rivers. I have been in danger from robbers. I have been in danger from the Jews. I have been in danger from people who do not know God. I have been in danger in cities and in the desert. I have been in danger on the sea. I have been in danger among people who say they belong to Christ but do not.

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

I have worked hard and have been tired and have had pain. I have gone many times without sleep. I have been hungry and thirsty. I have gone without food and clothes. I have been out in the cold.

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

More than all these things that have happened to my body, the care of all the churches is heavy on me.

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

When someone is weak, I feel weak also. When someone is led into sin, I have a strong desire to help him.

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

If I must talk about myself, I will do it about the things that show how weak I am.

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 our Lord Jesus Christ is to be honored and thanked forever. He knows I am telling the truth.

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

In the city of Damascus the leader of the people under King Aretas put soldiers at the gates to take me.

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

But I was let down in a basket through a window in the wall and I got away.