1 O that ye were bearing with me a little of the folly, but ye also do bear with me:

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

2 f or I am zealous for you with zeal of God, for I did betroth you to one husband, a pure virgin, to present to Christ,

For 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.

3 a nd I fear, lest, as the serpent did beguile Eve in his subtilty, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that in the Christ;

But 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.

4 f or if, indeed, he who is coming doth preach another Jesus whom we did not preach, or another Spirit ye receive which ye did not receive, or other good news which ye did not accept -- well were ye bearing,

For 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.

5 f or I reckon that I have been nothing behind the very chiefest apostles,

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

6 a nd even if unlearned in word -- yet not in knowledge, but in every thing we were made manifest in all things to you.

But 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.

7 T he sin did I do -- myself humbling that ye might be exalted, because freely the good news of God I did proclaim to you?

Or 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?

8 o ther assemblies I did rob, having taken wages, for your ministration;

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

9 a nd being present with you, and having been in want, I was chargeable to no one, for my lack did the brethren supply -- having come from Macedonia -- and in everything burdenless to you I did keep myself, and will keep.

and 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.

10 T he truth of Christ is in me, because this boasting shall not be stopped in regard to me in the regions of Achaia;

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

11 w herefore? because I do not love you? God hath known!

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

12 a nd what I do, I also will do, that I may cut off the occasion of those wishing an occasion, that in that which they boast they may be found according as we also;

But 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.

13 f or those such false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ,

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

14 a nd no wonder -- for even the Adversary doth transform himself into a messenger of light;

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

15 n o great thing, then, if also his ministrants do transform themselves as ministrants of righteousness -- whose end shall be according to their works.

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

16 A gain I say, may no one think me to be a fool; and if otherwise, even as a fool receive me, that I also a little may boast.

Again 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.

17 T hat which I speak, I speak not according to the Lord, but as in foolishness, in this the confidence of boasting;

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

18 s ince many boast according to the flesh, I also will boast:

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

19 f or gladly do ye bear with the fools -- being wise,

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

20 f or ye bear, if any one is bringing you under bondage, if any one doth devour, if any one doth take away, if any one doth exalt himself, if any one on the face doth smite you;

For you tolerate it if anyone enslaves you, anyone devours you, anyone takes advantage of you, anyone exalts himself, anyone hits you in the face.

21 i n reference to dishonour I speak, how that we were weak, and in whatever any one is bold -- in foolishness I say -- I also am bold.

To 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.

22 H ebrews are they? I also! Israelites are they? I also! seed of Abraham are they? I also!

Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.

23 m inistrants of Christ are they? -- as beside myself I speak -- I more; in labours more abundantly, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths many times;

Are 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.

24 f rom Jews five times forty save one I did receive;

Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes.

25 t hrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice was I shipwrecked, a night and a day in the deep I have passed;

Three 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.

26 j ourneyings many times, perils of rivers, perils of robbers, perils from kindred, perils from nations, perils in city, perils in wilderness, perils in sea, perils among false brethren;

I 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;

27 i n laboriousness and painfulness, in watchings many times, in hunger and thirst, in fastings many times, in cold and nakedness;

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

28 a part from the things without -- the crowding upon me that is daily -- the care of all the assemblies.

Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure on me of concern for all the churches.

29 W ho is infirm, and I am not infirm? who is stumbled, and I am not fired;

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

30 i f to boast it behoveth, of the things of my infirmity I will boast;

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

31 t he God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ -- who is blessed to the ages -- hath known that I do not lie! --

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

32 I n Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king was watching the city of the Damascenes, wishing to seize me,

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

33 a nd through a window in a rope basket I was let down, through the wall, and fled out of his hands.

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