1 Put up with me if I am a little foolish: but, truly, you do put up with me.2 For I have a very great care for you: because you have been married by me to one husband, and it is my desire to give you completely holy to Christ.3 But I have a fear, that in some way, as Eve was tricked by the deceit of the snake, your minds may be turned away from their simple and holy love for Christ.4 For if anyone comes preaching another Jesus from the one whose preachers we are, or if you have got a different spirit, or a different sort of good news from those which came to you, how well you put up with these things.5 For in my opinion, I am in no way less than the most important of the Apostles.6 But though I am rough in my way of talking, I am not so in knowledge, as we have made clear to all by our acts among you.7 Or did I do wrong in making myself low so that you might be lifted up, because I gave you the good news of God without reward?8 I took money from other churches as payment for my work, so that I might be your servant;9 And when I was present with you, and was in need, I let no man be responsible for me; for the brothers, when they came from Macedonia, gave me whatever was needed; and in everything I kept myself from being a trouble to you, and I will go on doing so.10 As the true word of Christ is in me, I will let no man take from me this my cause of pride in the country of Achaia.11 Why? because I have no love for you? let God be judge.12 But what I do, that I will go on doing, so that I may give no chance to those who are looking for one; so that, in the cause of their pride, they may be seen to be the same as we are.13 For such men are false Apostles, workers of deceit, making themselves seem like Apostles of Christ.14 And it is no wonder; for even Satan himself is able to take the form of an angel of light.15 So it is no great thing if his servants make themselves seem to be servants of righteousness; whose end will be the reward of their works.16 I say again, Let me not seem foolish to anyone; but if I do, put up with me as such, so that I may take a little glory to myself.17 What I am now saying is not by the order of the Lord, but as a foolish person, taking credit to myself, as it seems.18 Seeing that there are those who take credit to themselves after the flesh, I will do the same.19 For you put up with the foolish gladly, being wise yourselves.20 You put up with a man if he makes servants of you, if he makes profit out of you, if he makes you prisoners, if he puts himself in a high place, if he gives you blows on the face.21 I say this by way of shaming ourselves, as if we had been feeble. But if anyone puts himself forward (I am talking like a foolish person), I will do the same.22 Are they Hebrews? so am I. Are they of Israel? so am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? so am I.23 Are they servants of Christ? (I am talking foolishly) I am more so; I have had more experience of hard work, of prisons, of blows more than measure, of death.24 Five times the Jews gave me forty blows but one.25 Three times I was whipped with rods, once I was stoned, three times the ship I was in came to destruction at sea, a night and a day I have been in the water;26 In frequent travels, in dangers on rivers, in dangers from outlaws, in dangers from my countrymen, in dangers from the Gentiles, in dangers in the town, in dangers in the waste land, in dangers at sea, in dangers among false brothers;27 In hard work and weariness, in frequent watchings, going without food and drink, cold and in need of clothing.28 In addition to all the other things, there is that which comes on me every day, the care of all the churches.29 Who is feeble and I am not feeble? who is in danger of falling, and I am not angry?30 If I have to take credit to myself, I will do so in the things in which I am feeble.31 The God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be praise for ever, is witness that the things which I say are true.32 In Damascus, the ruler under Aretas the king kept watch over the town of the people of Damascus, in order to take me:33 And being let down in a basket from the wall through a window, I got free from his hands.

1 Utinam sustineretis modicum quid insipienti me, sed et supportare me : 2 mulor enim vos Dei mulatione. Despondi enim vos uni viro, virginem castam exhibere Christo. 3 Timeo autem ne sicut serpens Hevam seduxit astutia sua, ita corrumpantur sensus vestri, et excidant a simplicitate, qu est in Christo. 4 Nam si is qui venit, alium Christum prdicat, quem non prdicavimus, aut alium spiritum accipitis, quem non accepistis : aut aliud Evangelium, quod non recepistis : recte pateremini. 5 Existimo enim nihil me minus fecisse a magnis Apostolis. 6 Nam etsi imperitus sermone, sed non scientia, in omnibus autem manifestati sumus vobis.7 Aut numquid peccatum feci, meipsum humilians, ut vos exaltemini ? quoniam gratis Evangelium Dei evangelizavi vobis ? 8 Alias ecclesias expoliavi, accipiens stipendium ad ministerium vestrum. 9 Et cum essem apud vos, et egerem, nulli onerosus fui : nam quod mihi deerat, suppleverunt fratres, qui venerunt a Macedonia : et in omnibus sine onere me vobis servavi, et servabo. 10 Est veritas Christi in me, quoniam hc gloriatio non infringetur in me in regionibus Achai. 11 Quare ? quia non diligo vos ? Deus scit. 12 Quod autem facio, et faciam : ut amputem occasionem eorum qui volunt occasionem, ut in quo gloriantur, inveniantur sicut et nos. 13 Nam ejusmodi pseudoapostoli sunt operarii subdoli, transfigurantes se in apostolos Christi. 14 Et non mirum : ipse enim Satanas transfigurat se in angelum lucis. 15 Non est ergo magnum, si ministri ejus transfigurentur velut ministri justiti : quorum finis erit secundum opera ipsorum.16 Iterum dico (ne quis me putet insipientem esse, alioquin velut insipientem accipite me, ut et ego modicum quid glorier), 17 quod loquor, non loquor secundum Deum, sed quasi in insipientia, in hac substantia glori. 18 Quoniam multi gloriantur secundum carnem : et ego gloriabor. 19 Libenter enim suffertis insipientes, cum sitis ipsi sapientes. 20 Sustinetis enim si quis vos in servitutem redigit, si quis devorat, si quis accipit, si quis extollitur, si quis in faciem vos cdit. 21 Secundum ignobilitatem dico, quasi nos infirmi fuerimus in hac parte. In quo quis audet (in insipientia dico) audeo et ego : 22 Hebri sunt, et ego : Isralit sunt, et ego : semen Abrah sunt, et ego.23 Ministri Christi sunt (ut minus sapiens dico), plus ego : in laboribus plurimis, in carceribus abundantius, in plagis supra modum, in mortibus frequenter. 24 A Judis quinquies, quadragenas, una minus, accepi. 25 Ter virgis csus sum, semel lapidatus sum : ter naufragium feci, nocte et die in profundo maris fui, 26 in itineribus spe, periculis fluminum, periculis latronum, periculis ex genere, periculis ex gentibus, periculis in civitate, periculis in solitudine, periculis in mari, periculis in falsis fratribus : 27 in labore et rumna, in vigiliis multis, in fame et siti, in jejuniis multis, in frigore et nuditate, 28 prter illa qu extrinsecus sunt, instantia mea quotidiana, sollicitudo omnium ecclesiarum. 29 Quis infirmatur, et ego non infirmor ? quis scandalizatur, et ego non uror ? 30 Si gloriari oportet, qu infirmitatis me sunt, gloriabor. 31 Deus et Pater Domini nostri Jesu Christi, qui est benedictus in scula, scit quod non mentior. 32 Damasci prpositus gentis Aret regis custodiebat civitatem Damascenorum ut me comprehenderet : 33 et per fenestram in sporta dimissus sum per murum, et sic effugi manus ejus.