1 Would that ye would bear with me {in} a little folly; but indeed bear with me.2 For I am jealous as to you with a jealousy {which is} of God; for I have espoused you unto one man, to present {you} a chaste virgin to Christ.3 But I fear lest by any means, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craft, {so} your thoughts should be corrupted from simplicity as to the Christ.4 For if indeed he that comes preaches another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or ye get a different Spirit, which ye have not got, or a different glad tidings, which ye have not received, ye might well bear with {it}.5 For I reckon that in nothing I am behind those who are in surpassing degree apostles.6 But if {I am} a simple person in speech, yet not in knowledge, but in everything making {the truth} manifest in all things to you.7 Have I committed sin, abasing myself in order that *ye* might be exalted, because I gratuitously announced to you the glad tidings of God?8 I spoiled other assemblies, receiving hire for ministry towards you.9 And being present with you and lacking, I did not lazily burden any one, (for the brethren who came from Macedonia supplied what I lacked,) and in everything I kept myself from being a burden to you, and will keep myself.10 {The} truth of Christ is in me that this boasting shall not be stopped as to me in the regions of Achaia.11 Why? because I do not love you? God knows.12 But what I do, I will also do, that I may cut off the opportunity of those wishing {for} an opportunity, that wherein they boast they may be found even as we.13 For such {are} false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ.14 And {it is} not wonderful, for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.15 It is no great thing therefore if his ministers also transform themselves as ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.16 Again I say, Let not any one think me to be a fool; but if otherwise, receive me then even as a fool, that *I* also may boast myself some little.17 What I speak I do not speak according to {the} Lord, but as in folly, in this confidence of boasting.18 Since many boast according to flesh, *I* also will boast.19 For ye bear fools readily, being wise.20 For ye bear if any one bring you into bondage, if any one devour {you}, if any one get {your money}, if any one exalt himself, if any one beat you on the face.21 I speak as to dishonour, as though *we* had been weak; but wherein any one is daring, (I speak in folly,) *I* also am daring.22 Are they Hebrews? *I* also. Are they Israelites? *I* also. Are they seed of Abraham? *I* also.23 Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as being beside myself) *I* above measure {so}; in labours exceedingly abundant, in stripes to excess, in prisons exceedingly abundant, in deaths oft.24 From the Jews five times have I received forty {stripes}, save one.25 Thrice have I been scourged, once I have been stoned, three times I have suffered shipwreck, a night and day I passed in the deep:26 in journeyings often, in perils of rivers, in perils of robbers, in perils from {my own} race, in perils from {the} nations, in perils in {the} city, in perils in {the} desert, in perils on {the} sea, in perils among false brethren;27 in labour and toil, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness.28 Besides those things that are without, the crowd {of cares} pressing on me daily, the burden of all the assemblies.29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is stumbled, and I burn not?30 If it is needful to boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.31 The God and Father of the Lord Jesus knows-he who is blessed for ever-that I do not lie.32 In Damascus the ethnarch of Aretas the king kept the city of the Damascenes shut up, wishing to take me;33 and through a window in a basket I was let down by the wall, and escaped his hands.

1 Ag, as julle my net 'n bietjie in my dwaasheid wou verdra! Verdra my tog maar!2 Want ek is jaloers oor julle met 'n goddelike jaloersheid, want ek het julle aan een man verbind, om julle as 'n reine maagd aan Christus voor te stel.3 Maar ek vrees dat, net soos die slang Eva deur sy listigheid bedrieg het, julle sinne so miskien bedorwe kan raak, vervreemd van die opregtheid teenoor Christus.4 Want as iemand kom en 'n ander Jesus verkondig as wat ons verkondig het, of as julle 'n ander gees ontvang as wat julle ontvang het, of 'n ander evangelie as wat julle aangeneem het, laat julle jul dit goed geval.5 Want ek reken dat ek niks agterstaan by die uitnemende apostels nie.6 En al is ek ook onbedrewe in woord, dan tog nie in kennis nie; maar ons het ten volle in alle opsigte openbaar geword by julle.7 Of het ek sonde gedoen deur my te verneder sodat julle verhoog kan word, omdat ek die evangelie van God kosteloos aan julle verkondig het?8 Ander gemeentes het ek beroof deur vergoeding te neem om julle te bedien; en toe ek by julle teenwoordig was en gebrek gehad het, het ek niemand lastig geval nie.9 Want in my gebrek het die broeders voorsien wat van Macedonië gekom het. En ek het my in alles in ag geneem om julle nie te beswaar nie, en ek sal my in ag neem.10 So seker as die waarheid van Christus in my is, sal hierdie roem in die streke van Ach je my nie ontneem word nie.11 Waarom? Omdat ek julle nie liefhet nie? God weet dit.12 Maar wat ek doen, sal ek nog doen om die aanleiding af te sny vir die wat 'n aanleiding wil hê, sodat hulle in die saak waar hulle op roem, net soos ons bevind mag word.13 Want sulke mense is valse apostels, bedrieglike arbeiders wat hulleself verander in apostels van Christus.14 En geen wonder nie! Want die Satan self verander hom in 'n engel van die lig.15 Dit is dus niks besonders wanneer sy dienaars hulle ook voordoen as dienaars van geregtigheid nie. Maar hulle einde sal wees volgens hulle werke.16 Weer sê ek dat niemand moet dink dat ek dwaas is nie; of anders, neem my maar aan as 'n dwaas, sodat ek ook 'n bietjie kan roem.17 Wat ek spreek, sê ek nie vanweë die Here nie, maar as in dwaasheid, in hierdie vertroue dat ek mag roem.18 Terwyl baie na die vlees roem, sal ek ook roem.19 Want julle verdra graag die dwase, omdat julle so verstandig is!20 Julle verdra dit mos as iemand knegte van julle maak, as iemand julle opeet, as iemand julle beetneem, as iemand hom aanstel, as iemand julle in die gesig slaan.21 Tot my skande moet ek erken dat ons daarvoor te swak was; maar as iemand dit aandurf -- ek spreek in dwaasheid -- ek durf ook.22 Is hulle Hebreërs? Ek ook. Is hulle Israeliete? Ek ook. Is hulle die nakomelinge van Abraham? Ek ook.23 Is hulle dienaars van Christus? -- ek praat in uitsinnigheid -- ek nog meer: in arbeid oorvloediger, in slae bo die maat, in gevangenskappe baie meer, in doodsgevare dikwels.24 Vyf maal het ek van die Jode ontvang veertig houe op een na.25 Drie maal is ek met stokke geslaan, een maal is ek gestenig, drie maal het ek skipbreuk gely, 'n nag en 'n dag het ek op die diepwater deurgebring --26 dikwels op reis, in gevare van riviere, in gevare van rowers, in gevare van my volk, in gevare van die heidene, in gevare in die stad, in gevare in die woestyn, in gevare op see, in gevare onder valse broeders;27 in arbeid en moeite, in slapelose nagte dikwels, in honger en dors, dikwels sonder ete, in koue en naaktheid.28 Behalwe dit alles my daaglikse bekommernis, die sorg vir al die gemeentes.29 Wie is swak en ek is nie swak nie? Aan wie word 'n struikelblok in die weg gelê en ek is nie aan die brand nie?30 As daar geroem moet word, sal ek in my swakhede roem.31 Die God en Vader van onse Here Jesus Christus, geseënd tot in ewigheid, weet dat ek nie lieg nie.32 In Damaskus het die goewerneur van koning Ar,tas die stad van die Damask,ners laat bewaak om my te vang;33 en ek is in 'n mandjie deur 'n venster in die muur neergelaat en het aan sy hande ontkom.